JERIE 


PUBLISHERS'   ADVERTISEMENT. 


From  the  Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

THE  "NO  NAME  SERIES." 
"LEIGH  HUNT,  ///  his  l  Indicator?  has  a  pleasant  chapter 
on  the  difficulty  he  encountered  in  seeking  a  suitable  and  fresh 
title  for  a  collection  of  his  miscella?ieous  writings.  Messrs. 
Roberts  Brothers  have  just  overcome  a  similar  difficulty  in 
the  simplest  manner.  In  selecting  "No  NAME,"  they  have 
selected  the  very  best  title  possible  for  a  series  of  Original 
American  Novels  and  Tales,  to  be  published  Anonymously. 
These  novels  are  to  be  written  by  eminent  authors,  and  in 
each  case  the  authorship  of  the  work  is  to  remain  an  inviolable 
secret.  "  No  Name  "  describes  the  Series  perfectly.  No  name 
will  help  the  novel,  or  the  story,  to  success.  Its  success  will 
depend  solely  on  the  writer's  ability  to  catch  and  retain  the 
reader's  interest.  Several  of  the  most  distinguished  writers 
of  American  fiction  have  agreed  to  contribute  to  the  Series, 
the  initial  volume  of  which  is  now  in  press.  Its  appearance 
will  certainly  be  aivaited  with  curiosity." 


The  plan  thus  happily  foreshadowed  will  be  immediately 
inaugurated  by  the  publication  of  "  MERCY  PHILBRICK'S 
CHOICE,"  from  the  pen  of  a  well-known  and  successful  writer 
of  fiction. 

It  is  intended  to  include  in  the  Series  a  volume  of  anonymous 
poems  from  famous  hands,  to  be  written  especially  for  it. 

The  "  No  Name  Series  "  will  be  issued  at  convenient  inter- 
vals, in  handsome  library  form,  i6mo,  cloth,  price  $1.00  each. 

ROBERTS 


BOSTON,  Midsummer,  1876. 

14O  PACiF 
-  —  -  LOMS  BEACH.  OHLIP. 


THE   "NO    NAME   SERIES." 


KISMET.    A  Nile  Novel. 

Opinions,  generous  tributes  to  genius,  by  well-known  authors 
whose  names  are  anonymous. 

"Well,  I  have  read  'Kismet,'  and  it  is  certainly  very  remarkable.  The 
story  is  interesting,  —  any  well-told  love  story  is,  you  know,  —  but  the  book  itself  is 
a  great  deal  more  so.  Descriptively  and  sentimentally,  —  I  use  the  word  with 
entire  respect,  —  it  is,  in  spots,  fairly  exquisite.  It  seems  to  me  all  glowing  and 
overflowing  with  what  the  French  call  bcaute  dit  diable.  .  .  .  The  conversa- 
tions are  very  clever,  and  the  wit  is  often  astonishingly  like  the  wit  of  an  accom- 
plished man  of  the  world.  One  thing  which  seems  to  me  to  show  promise  — 
great  promise,  if  you  will  —  for  the  future  is  that  the  author  can  not  only  repro- 
duce the  conversation  of  one  brilliant  man,  but  can  make  two  men  talk  together  as 
if  they  -were  men,  —  not  women  in  manly  clothes." 

"  It  is  a  charming  book.  I  have  read  it  twice,  and  looked  it  over  again,  and 
I  wish  T  had  it  all  new  to  sit  up  with  to-night.  It  is  so  fresh  and  sweet  and  inno- 
cent and  joyous,  the  dialogue  is  so  natural  and  bright,  the  characters  so  keenly 
edged,  and  the  descriptions  so  poetic.  I  don't  know  when  I  have  enjoyed 
any  thing  more,  —  never  since  1  went  sailing  up  the  Nile  with  Harriet  Martineau. 
.  .  .  You  must  give  the  author  love  and  greeting  from  one  of  the  fraternity. 
The  hand  that  gives  us  this  pleasure  will  give  us  plenty  more  of  an  improving 
quality  every  year,  I  think.-' 

"  '  Kismet'  is  indeed  a  delightful  story,  the  best  of  the  series  undoubtedly." 

"  If  '  Kismet '  is  the  first  work  of  a  young  lady,  as  reported,  it  shows  a  great 
gift  of  language,  and  powers  of  description  and  of  insight  into  character  and  life 
quite  uncommon.  ...  Of  the  whole  series  so  far,  I  think  '  Mercy  Philbrick's 
Choice '  is  the  best,  because  it  has,  beside  literary  merit,  some  moral  tone  and 
vigor.  Still  there  are  capabilities  in  the  writer  of  '  Kismet'  even  higher  than  in 
that  of  the  writer  of  '^Mercy  Philbrick's  Choice.'  " 

"  I  liked  it  extremely.  It  is  the  best  in  the  series  so  far,  except  in  con- 
struction, in  which  '  Is  That  All  ? '  slight  as  it  is,  seems  to  me  superior. 
'  Kismet '  is  winning  golden  opinions  everywhere.  I  have  nothing  but  praises 
for  it,  and  have  nothing  but  praise  to  give  it." 

"  I  have  read  '  Kismet '  once,  and  mean  to  read  it  again.  It  is  thoroughly 
charming,  and  will  be  a  success." 

One  volume,  bound  in  cardinal  red  and  black.    Price  $1.00. 


Our  publications  are  to  be  had  of  all  booksellers.     When  not 
to  be  found,  send  directly  to 

ROBERTS   BROTHERS,    Publishers,  Boston. 


SERIES. 


THE    GREAT    MATCH, 

AND 

OTHER    MATCHES. 


NO    NAME    SERIES. 

"  Is  THE  GENTLEMAN  ANONYMOUS?    Is  HE  A  GREAT  UNKNOWN  ?  " 

DANIEL  DERONDA. 


THE  GREAT  MATCH, 

AND 

OTHER    MATCHES. 


BOSTON: 

ROBERTS      BROTHERS. 
1877. 


Copyright,  1877, 
BY  ROBERTS  BROTHERS. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTKR  PAGB 

I.  MlLLTOWN    AND    DORNFIELD 7 

II.  MOONLIGHT 22 

III.  THE  ROSE  OF  DORNFIELD 53 

IV.  TROUBLES 69 

V.  THE  KNAVE  OF  CLUBS 81 

VI.  BASE-BALL  MATTERS 102 

VII.  A  BIT  OF  RAILLERY 120 

VIII.  DIREFUL  PREPARATIONS 147 

IX.  A  MARTHA  WASHINGTON  TEA-PARTY     .  170 

X.  THE  DIREFUL  FIGHT 198 

XI.  THE  RESCUE 212 

XII.  THE  FAIR 228 

XIII.  BEFORE  AND  AFTER 241 

XIV.  PROTECTING  ARMS 254 

XV.  THE  GREAT  MATCH  .  268 


2061745 


THE    GREAT    MATCH. 


CHAPTER   I.      MILLTOWN  AND  DORNFIELD. 


|HE  villages  of  Milltown  and 
Dornfield  presented  a  great 

contrast.  Milltown  was  situ- 
ated upon  a  river,  and  was  the  seat 
of  many  manufactories  ;  it  was  a 
bustling,  money -making  place  : 
while  Dornfield  was  five  miles 
from  Milltown,  in  the  centre  of 
a  fine  agricultural  country.  The 
railroad  ran  through  Milltown ; 


8  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

but  Dornfield  had  to  be  reached  by  stage.  The 
Milltownites,  as  they  were  termed  by  their 
neighbors  the  Dornfieldites,  had  great  contempt 
for  the  little  agricultural  town.  The  young 
country  boys  flocked  to  Milltown,  leaving  their 
fathers  to  plod  on  their  old-fashioned  way  at 
Dornfield  ;  for,  after  a  day's  work  in  the  mills 
and  machine-shops,  there  were  bright  stores  to 
lounge  about  in  the  evening,  good  livery- 
stables,  and  much  excitement.  Young  country 
maidens  also  found  much,  in  Milltown  to  prefer 
to  the  quiet  of  Dornfield.  There  were  many 
dry-goods  stores ;  there  were  balls,  and  soci- 
ables, photograph  saloons,  knick-knack  shops ; 
and  —  there  were  young  men  in  bright  neck- 
ties and  unexceptionable  boots.  The  civil  war 
had  done  much  for  Milltown.  Great  mills  sprang 
up  almost  in  a  day,  and  lit  up  the  dammed-up 
river  at  night  with  hundreds  of  golden  spears. 
New  stores,  with  the  latest  novelties  from  the 
metropolis,  perched  themselves  upon  sandy 
banks,  or  were  to  be  seen  in  the  midst  of 
vacant  lots,  expecting  to  be  built  around  speedily 
in  the  great  land  speculation  which  was  rife. 
In  approaching  Milltown  by  the  railroad,  one  saw 
nothing  until  the  train,  issuing  from  a  bridge, 
stopped  at  the  depot.  At  evening,  the  entire 
male  population  seemed  to  congregate  on  the 
platforms.  The  scraps  of  news  from  th£  neigh- 


MILLTOWN  AND  DORNFIELD.  9 

boring  villages  along  the  route  of  the  railroad 
were  exchanged  ;  the  old  men,  before  the  arrival 
of  the  train,  discussed  their  ailments,  and,  after 
the  departure  of  the  engine,  hobbled  homeward, 
as  if  the  iron  horse,  with  its  rush  and  its  energy, 
had  stirred  up  the  sluggishness  of  their  much- 
talked  about  "  systems."  They  went  first  to  the 
post-office  veranda,  to  talk  over  the  arrival  of 
the  agent  of  the  Duck  Mills  with  the  head  of 
the  house,  and  to  wonder  if  he  had  come  up  to 
buy  that  "  privilege  of  Bateman's."  Every  one 
at  the  Milltown  depot  seemed  to  be  in  a  fever- 
heat  of  excitement.  Packages  of  goods  were 
trundled  about  almost  too  fast  to  allow  the  curi- 
ous to  read  the  addresses  upon  them.  Mrs. 
Page's  Saratoga  trunks  were  deposited  in  a  half- 
yawning  state.  Cases  of  cotton  machinery  were 
cleared  out  of  the  way,  to  make  way  for  bundles 
of  newspapers  ;  champagne  baskets,  which  were 
perhaps  used  to  pack  Mrs.  Page's  new  set  of 
china-ware  in  ;  and  crates  of  the  latest  delicacies. 
Standing  in  the  door-way  of  the  depot  could  be 
seen  the  small  boy,  who  had  evidently  spent  the 
afternoon  in  a  huckleberry  pasture  ;  the  collar- 
less  young  village  Adonis,  who  had  come  to  see 
if  a  lady  friend  was  going  up  on  the  train  ;  and 
the  transient,  who  was  making  up  his  mind 
whether  to  be  hustled  about  on  the  platform,  or 

to  be  shut  into  a  room  papered  with  railroad 
i* 


10  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

announcements,  none  of  which  gave  him  the 
desired  information.  While  all  the  bustle  was 
found  on  the  front  platform,  and  belonged  en- 
tirely to  Milltown,  the  dingy  old  stage  for 
Dornfield,  with  its  streaks  of  yellow  paint,  its 
weather-beaten  straps,  and  its  ewe-necked  horses, 
was  always  to  be  found  behind  the  depot,  half 
concealed,  as  if  afraid  to  be  contrasted  with  the 
shining  new  equipages  which  were  drawn  up 
ostentatiously  at  the  front  side  of  the  platform, 
waiting  for  the  manufacturing  magnates  of  Mill- 
town.  Certainly,  the  stranger  would  never  think 
of  leaving  the  bustling  main  street,  with  its 
modern  stores,  its  comfortable  inn,  its  accessi- 
bility to  the  railroad  for  Dornfield.  There  were 
four  churches  in  Milltown  to  one  in  Dornfield. 
There  was  a  circulating  library,  six  apothecary 
stores,  and  three  newspaper  offices,  while  Dorn- 
field could  only  boast  of  one  store.  When  one 
speaks  of  enterprise  and  energy,  Milltown  should 
not  be  contrasted  with  Dornfield.  But  one 
speedily  discovered  a  difference  in  the  two  towns. 
It  seems  that,  in  the  early  days,  the  Indians 
killed  six  of  the  inhabitants  of  Dornfield  to  one 
of  those  of  Milltown.  Why  this  difference  ?  It 
certainly  argued  blood  ;  and  to  this  day  the  aris- 
tocracy is  to  be  found  at  Dornfield,  and  shoddy 
at  Milltown.  In  a  strange  way,  it  happened, 
notwithstanding  the  clemency  of  the  Indians, 


MILLTOWN  AND  DORNFIELD.  II 

that  no  one  seemed  to  have  any  superfluous 
ancestors  in  Milltown.  There  was  a  shelf  in 
the  town  library  devoted  to  genealogies  of  the 
rich  manufacturers  of  Milltown  ;  but  there  were 
no  time-honored  names  there,  as  there  were  in 
Dornfield.  Milltown  had  the  money,  and  Dorn- 
field  the  aristocracy.  This  was  universally  ac- 
knowledged. The  village  papers  of  Milltown 
often  amused  themselves  about  what  they  termed 
the  blue  blood  of  Dornfield.  Whenever  a  repre- 
sentative to  the  general  court  was  to  be  elected, 
the  two  towns  were  brought  into  active  rivalry ; 
for  there  was  but  one  representative  for  the  two, 
and  each  strove  to  elect  one  of  their  own  towns- 
men. The  cry  of  blue  blood  and  kid-glove  aristo- 
cracy, raised  by  the  partisan  papers  of  Milltown 
generally  decided  the  day ;  and  the  manufactur- 
ing population  elected  a  Milltownite,  although  no 
one  wore  kid  gloves  in  Dornfield.  The  ministers 
in  Milltown  preached  for  the  Universal  Church, 
and  against  the  sin  of  exclusiveness.  The  min- 
ister at  Dornfield  held  up  the  dangers  incident 
to  making  money,  and  prayed  that  their  neigh- 
bors at  Milltown  might  remember  that  where 
there  was  the  greater  temptation  to  sin,  there  was 
also  the  greater  reward. 

The  society  in  Milltown  was  very  easy.  The 
transition  from  poverty  to  wealth  in  many  cases 
had  been  sudden.  Every  one  was  hospitable, 


12  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

and  claimed  the  right  to  ask  as  many  personal 
questions  as  were  necessary  to  form  an  accurate 
opinion  of  each  other's  business.  When  the 
agent  of  the  Duck  Mills  had  a  party,  there  was 
no  exclusiveness  :  every  one  was  invited  ;  and,  if 
the  crowd  was  too  great  for  comfort,  and  every 
one  was  squeezed,  and  the  ice-cream  gave  out, 
people  went  home,  on  the  whole  pleased  ;  because 
the  agent  invited  everybody,  and  shook  every 
one  by  the  hand.  Wealth  had  not  been  long 
enough  in  its  sudden  possessors'  hands  to  create 
fine  distinctions.  There  were  no  sets  in  Mill- 
town  ;  no  cliques :  everybody  was  as  good  as 
anybody.  If  anybody  wanted  to  see  how  happy 
people  could  be  without  ancestors,  one  should 
have  gone  to  Milltown.  If  one  desired  to  escape 
the  harassing  knowledge  that  there  was  a  set 
which  he  was  not  in,  —  Milltown.  If  any  one 
desired  to  meet  real  American  people,  without  a 
trace  of  the  pronunciation  of  a  Briton ;  people 
who  talked  right  nosely,  —  Milltown. 

All  that  we  have  said  in  regard  to  Milltown 
argues  that  the  reverse  can  be  told  of  Dornfield. 
A  lady  has  the  art  of  describing  two  people  in 
the  description  of  one  ;  for  the  tone  of  her  voice 
implies  that  she  wishes  the  second  party  had  the 
virtues  of  the  first,  which  she  so  glowingly  de- 
scribes :  but  a  writer  has  not  this  power,  he  must 
extenuate.  Now  Dornfield,  in  its  turn,  had  its 


MILLTOWN  AND  DORNFIELD.  13 

virtues.  It  was  peopled  by  many  of  those  whose 
ancestors  came  over  in  the  "  Mayflower."  There 
had  never  been  any  temptation  to  its  inhabitants 
to  invest  their  comparatively  small  properties  in 
manufacturing,  for  the  river  had  chosen  to  run  to 
the  east  of  the  range  of  hills  that  separated  the 
valley  of  Milltown  from  the  sweet  intervales  of 
Dornfield.  The  population  had  early  been  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits.  There  were 
many  large  landed  proprietors,  who  lived  in  the 
old  substantial  mansions  built  a  hundred  years 
ago,  beneath  elms  which  witnessed  many  Indian 
scrimmages.  In  these  old  mansions  the  owners 
preserved  with  jealous  care  the  samplers  worked 
by  their  female  ancestors,  the  spinning-wheels, 
the  antique  clocks,  and  the  straight-backed  chairs, 
which  were  their  proofs  of  old  family.  If  a  gath- 
erer of  old  furniture  could  have  entered  the  houses 
in  Dornfield,  he  would  have  gone  wild  with  delight. 
These  old  mansions  were  kept  up  with  great 
care  by  their  descendants,  although  in  many 
cases  the  eldest  sons  had  gone  West  to  seek  their 
fortunes.  This  preservation  was  due  to  some 
fortunate  marriages  which  the  handsome  daugh- 
ters of  Dornfield  farmers  had  made  with  aristo- 
cratic families  in  the  metropolis.  On  the  main 
street  of  the  place  there  was,  as  we  have  said, 
but  one  store,  and  an  old  tavern,  which  was  once 
renowned  as  the  stopping-place  of  the  stages 


14  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

which  ran  from  Albany  to  the  metropolis.  It 
was  now  strictly  temperance,  and  very  quiet.  A 
few  of  the  best  people  came  there  to  board  every 
summer.  Some  of  the  old  stages  were  tumbling 
to  pieces  in  a  corner  of  the  barn  attached  to  the 
house.  The  unreclaimed  in  Milltown  told  very 
facetious  stories  in  regard  to  the  possibility  of 
getting  something  to  quench  their  thirst  at  this 
tavern.  They  once  used  to  make  the  attempt 
very  often  ;  but  the  stern  respectability  of  the 
maiden  lady  summer-boarders,  and  the  knowl- 
edge that  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  first  minister 
killed  by  the  Indians  in  Dornfield  inhabited  the 
house,  made  them  extremely  wary. 

It  is  true  that  there  were  cliques  and  sets  in 
Dornfield.  Unfortunately  the  Indians  could  not 
foresee,  that,  in  tomahawking  some  and  sparing 
others,  they  were  creating  immense  distinctions 
in  society.  When  to  the  fact  that  one's  ances- 
tors had  been  scalped  was  joined  the  fact  of  an 
alliance  with  a  family  which  had  a  judge  in  it, 
even  the  most  bigoted  leveller  in  Milltown 
felt  an  involuntary  respect  for  such  Dornfield 
families.  Then,  too,  there  was  much  culture  in 
Dornfield.  Several  literary  men  and  women  had 
resided  there  from  time  to  time,  and  had  sown 
seed  which  had  been  religiously  perpetuated  by 
several  families.  Most  of  the  ladies  in  town 
sketched,  and  one  "sculpted,"  as  they  termed  it 


M1LLTOWN  AND  DORNFIELD.  15 

in  Milltown.  There  was  a  fern  society,  and  a 
literary  club.  While  chromos  were  welcomed  in 
Milltown,  and  were  fast  replacing  masterpieces 
in  hair,  weeping-willows  over  tombstones,  and 
oil  paintings,  the  work  of  that  man  who  founded 
the  horse-car  school  of  painting,  Dornfield  had 
passed  chromos,  and  had  made  rapid  strides 
toward  higher  art.  If  our  aim  was  not  to  de- 
scribe a  most  exciting  episode  in  the  history  of 
the  two  towns,  we  should  be  tempted  to  delay 
here,  and  dilate  upon  certain  ideas  of  evolution 
in  art,  and  to  frame  a  theory  upon  the  possible 
extinction  of  chromos  by  the  survival  of  the  fit- 
test in  art.  The  contrasts  presented  by  the  two 
towns  would  give  us  much  material.  Our  psy- 
chological instincts,  too,  are  greatly  excited  ;  but 
we  must  leave  all  this  to  another  pen.  There 
had  been  several  books  written  in  Dornfield, 
which,  if  they  had  not  astonished  the  world,  had 
given  a  tone  to  society  in  this  little  village,  and 
a  local  reputation  to  the  authors,  which  must 
have  satisfied  some  of  the  most  ardent  longings 
of  an  author's  nature.  These  books  were  mainly 
on  religious  topics  :  one  was  framed  after  Gott- 
hold's  "  Emblems,"  and  described  the  thoughts 
which  occurred  to  the  authoress  in  wandering 
through  the  beautiful  lanes  embowered  in  elm- 
trees.  These  trees  immediately  were  fraught 
with  literary  interest ;  and,  if  the  stranger  had 


1 6  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

never  heard  of  the  book,  he  immediately  read  it 
during  his  first  week  in  Dornfield,  before  he 
made  many  calls.  Dornfield  was  connected  by 
delicate  threads  with  even  Venice,  Florence,  and 
Rome ;  for  the  cousins  of  Dornfield  people 
were  always  travelling,  and  they  wrote  circular 
letters.  Besides  the  highly  cultivated  people  in 
Dornfield,  there  were  simple  country  folk,  who 
raised  chickens  and  vegetables  for  the  Milltown 
market,  and  kept  a  few  city  boarders  in  the 
summer  on  the  surplus.  There  were  also  a  few 
tradespeople,  who  did  business  in  Milltown,  but 
who  lived  in  Dornfield.  In  a  community  so 
constituted,  it  was  natural  that  there  should  be 
cliques  and  sets.  The  Dornfield  magnates  were 
supremely  happy  in  a  certain  exclusiveness  ;  and 
the  Milltown  folks  felt  their  hearts  warm  as  they 
thought  of  their  own  hospitable  and  liberal  dem- 
ocratic ways.  Indeed,  Milltown  was  like  a  bit  of 
the  prosperous  West  transported  to  New  England 
soil,  and  placed  in  juxtaposition  with  a  commu- 
nity of  an  academic  town. 

Such  were  the  towns  of  Milltown  and  Dorn- 
field at  the  time  Grandhurst  arrived  upon  the 
scene.  He  was  a  young  man  of  twenty-six,  who 
had  spent  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life  abroad, 
and  had  just  returned  to  engage  in  a  profession 
in  his  native  country.  Before  settling  down,  he 
had  run  down  to  Dornfield  to  see  Mr.  Tom 


MILLTOWN  AND   DORNFIELD.  17 

Milton,  a  rich  man,  who  was  the  warmest  friend 
of  his  late  father.  When  the  train  arrived  at 
Milltown,  Grandhurst  immediately  perceived  that 
there  was  some  great  excitement :  the  platform 
was  covered  with  young  men  and  boys,  many  of 
whom  were  dressed  in  base-ball  costumes. 
Shout  upon  shout  rent  the  air.  Presently  a 
young  man  was  mounted  upon  the  shoulders  of 
the  crowd,  and,  preceded  by  boys  beating  drums 
and  gongs,  he  was  carried  at  a  run  up  the  vil- 
lage street. 

"  What  is  the  excitement  ? "  asked  Grandhurst, 
as  he  stepped  upon  the  platform. 

"  A  goose-egg  !  "  shouted  the  man,  as  he  ran. 

"  Some  more  of  this  American  slang,  I  sup- 
pose," said  Grandhurst,  pulling  his  long  side- 
whiskers  and  elevating  his  chin. 

"  I  say,  look  heah,  boy,  where  's  the  coach  to 
Dornfield  ?  " 

"  Hy  yah  !  Hy  yah  !  "  answered  the  boy,  leap- 
ing up  as  if  to  jump  through  his  hands,  uttering 
a  shriek,  and  running  off  to  join  the  procession. 

"  Some  base-ball  nonsense,  I  suppose,"  said 
Grandhurst,  mentally  fuming.  "  The  whole  town 
seems  to  be  in  a  furore.  I  say,  my  man,  can 
you  tell  me  how  I  'm  to  get  to  Dornfield  ? " 

The  man  who  was  addressed  took  out  a  stump 
of  a  cigar  and  pointed  up  the  village  street. 
"  Coach  starts  from  the  post-office,"  said  he. 


1 8  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

Grandhurst  saw  that  his  baggage  was  safely 
placed  in  the  depot,  and  started  in  the  direction 
indicated.  "There  is  one  thing,"  he  muttered 
to  himself,  "  that  they  understand  better  here  than 
on  the  Continent,  —  they  do  understand  how  to 
transmit  baggage.  I  wonder  where  that  stage 
is !  Cursed  manners  these  American  officials 
have !  Now,  in  Europe,  that  fellow  on  the  plat- 
form would  have  touched  his  hat,  and  exerted 
himself  for  me ;  but  no,  he  was  what  they  call 
here  '  up  and  coming/  dying  to  ask  me  a  dozen 
questions,  I  suppose." 

The  top  of  the  stage-coach  was  already  cov- 
ered with  a  crowd  of  base-ball  players  ;  and  the 
inside  was  apparently  full.  "  Plenty  of  room  in 
there,"  replied  the  driver,  in  answer  to  Grand- 
hurst. 

"  Pretty  close  quarters,"  said  a  base-ball  player, 
crowding  to  make  way  for  Grandhurst.  "  Guess 
we  can  accommodate  a  few  more  ;  and  still  they 
come,  boys.  There  is  a  lady  who  wants  to  go  to 
Dornfield."  Amidst  shouts  of  laughter,  the 
hilarious  young  men  crowded  to  make  way  for 
a  woman  with  two  bandboxes. 

"  Can  ye  take  any  more  in  there  ?  "  asked  the 
driver  ;  "  here 's  Mrs.  Simpson  and  daughter  com- 
ing." 

"  Yes  ! "  shouted  the  base-ball  men  :  "  Mrs. 
Simpson  and  daughter,  by  all  means." 


MLLLTOWN  AND  DORNFIELD.  19 

"  Let  me  get  out  !  "  exclaimed  Grandhurst, 
struggling  in  a  corner  of  the  coach.  "  This  is  a 
regular  imposition.  Driver,  don't  you  know  any 
better  than  to  put  such  a  crowd  on  your  coach  ? " 

"  Who 's  talking,"  said  the  driver,  looking  down 
contemptuously. 

"  We  are  all  talking,"  answered  a  self-consti- 
tuted wit  in  the  inside. 

"  I  am  talking ! "  said  Grandhurst,  in  a  loud 
voice.  "  I  've  paid  for  a  seat  to  Dornfield,  and 
want  my  money's-worth.  You  have  no  business 
to  crowd  the  interior  of  your  coach  so." 

"  You  had  a  seat,  didn't  yer  ?  "  said  the  driver, 
while  a  dozen  heads  craned  over  the  top  of  the 
coach  to  witness  the  excitement. 

"No!  "  thundered  Grandhurst. 

"  Ye  wa'n't  smart,  then.  Whoa  !  whoa  !  Come, 
hop  on  somewhere :  I  can't  stop." 

"  I  '11  prosecute  you  to  the  extent  of  the  law  !  " 
said  Grandhurst,  in  a  towering  rage. 

The  entire  stage-load  of  young  men  set  up  a 
loud  whistle.  "What's  that  the  chap  says?" 
asked  the  driver,  starting  up  his  horses. 

"  He  says  he  will  have  the  law  on  ye,  and 
eat  you  alive,  and  make  you  pay  the  costs," 
shouted  the  wit. 

"  I  '11  resk  him  ;  he  had  as  good  a  chance  as 
any  of  ye.  I  'm  a  tough  one." 

"  That  you  are,  Billy,"  remarked  Ned  Black, 


20  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

the  captain  of  the  nine,  whom  the  crowd  had 
carried  about  on  their  shoulders.  The  stage 
rapidly  disappeared  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  leaving 
Grandhurst  standing  on  the  curbstone. 

"  Ye  ought  to  have  gone  on  with  the  boys," 
remarked  a  tall  Yankee,  who  was  sitting  on  the 
piazza  in  front  of  the  post-office.  "  You  'd  had 
a  fust-rate,  jolly  ride  ;  those  fellows  are  in  high 
humor,  and  they  '11  sing  splendidly  on  the  way. 
They  are  feeling  fine,  I  tell  ye.  Beat  us  bad." 

"  I  '11  make  that  driver  smart  for  this  !  "  ex- 
claimed Grandhurst. 

"  He  wa' n't  to  blame,"  replied  the  man.  "Bless 
ye,  they  will  crowd  in." 

"  That 's  the  way  they  manage  in  this  coun- 
try ! "  exclaimed  Grandhurst  ;  "  and  if  a  man 
stands  up  for  his  rights,  the  insolent  official  is 
backed  up  by  the  ignorant  crowd.  Now,  in  Eng- 
land or  France,  such  an  outrage  as  this  would 
never  be  permitted.  Oh,  I  '11  make  him  smart 
for  this  yet !  " 

"  See  :  where  did  ye  come  from  ? "  asked  the 
man,  with  an  air  of  interest. 

"  France,  last,"  replied  Grandhurst,  curtly. 

"  See :  they  've  had  another  fight  over  there 
lately,  haven't  they  ?" 

"  Yes,  several.  Now,  can  you  tell  me  how  I  'm 
to  get  to  Dornfield  ?  " 

"  Waal,  I  guess  my  boy  can  carry  you  over. 


MILLTOWN  AND  DORNFIELD.  21 

I  '11  see."  Thus  saying,  the  tall  Yankee  slowly 
arose,  and  disappeared  towards  the  rear  of  the 
post-office.  In  a  few  moments  he  returned,  with 
a  boy  who  led  an  old  horse  which  was  attached 
to  a  country  wagon  ;  and  Grandhurst,  making  his 
terms,  was  slowly  conveyed  towards  that  village. 
His  driver  informed  him  that  the  Milltown  base- 
ball nine  had  beaten  one  game,  and  the  Dorn- 
field  nine  had  just  won  one,  and  that  there  was 
still  one  more  game  to  be  played.  Grandhurst 
was  irritated,  and  listened  with  a  deaf  ear  to 
the  volume  of  intelligence  which  his  companion 
opened  before  him.  He  saw  the  coach  roll  on 
ahead,  the  men  on  top  waving  handkerchiefs  and 
flags,  while,  as  they  neared  Dornfield,  people  ran 
out  from  farm-houses  along  the  road,  and  stopped 
the  stage  to  hear  the  news.  The  boy  drove  past 
the  stage  at  length,  and  entered  a  fine  avenue, 
just  before  the  road  branched  to  go  to  the  main 
street  of  the  village.  As  they  drove  up  the 
avenue,  he  pointed  out  to  Grandhurst  Mr.  Mil- 
ton's fine  mansion,  standing  at  the  head  of  an 
English-like  lawn. 


22  THE   GREA  T  MA  TCH. 


CHAPTER  II. 

MOONLIGHT. 

/^RANDHURST  found  a  group  of  villagers 
^— ^  upon  the  veranda,  talking  in  an  excited 
manner  to  a  young  lady,  whom  he  supposed 
must  be  Miss  Molly  Milton,  the  niece  of  Mr. 
Tom  Milton.  The  young  lady  immediately  came 
forward  as  he  alighted,  and  greeted  him  by  name. 

"  We  expected  you  yesterday  !  "  she  exclaimed, 
"  and  sent  our  man  to  the  depot." 

"  Uncle  Tom,  this  is  Mr.  Grandhurst,"  said 
she,  turning  to  a  well-preserved  old  gentleman 
who  at  that  moment  came  down  the  staircase. 

"  Mr.  Grandhurst,  happy  to  see  you.  Afraid 
you  had  given  up  your  proposed  visit.  You  've 
arrived  at  an  exciting  moment,  sir." 

"  I  should  judge  so.     Great  news,  I  hear." 

"  Oh,  great !  "  replied  the  old  gentleman,  rub- 
bing his  hands  with  glee,  while  his  eyes  twin- 
kled with  delight.  "  You  see,  Mr.  Grandhurst, 
that  we  live  at  a  distance  from  the  great  centres, 
and  must  have  our  rumpus-  occasionally.  Well 


MOONLIGHT.  23 


now,  sir,  it  was  an  extraordinary  match,  all  agree. 
Our  boys  covered  themselves  with  glory.  Fond 
of  base  ball  ?  Like  cricket  better  !  Now,  I  don't. 
There  is  something  about  base  ball  that  stirs  the 
blood  even  in  my  old  veins.  It 's  our  national 
game,  sir.  That  is  the  reason  I  go  for  it.  Well, 
when  did  you  get  home  ?  You  've  been  ten 
years  "  — 

"  Here  they  come ! "  cried  a  small  boy,  who 
rushed  up  the  avenue  without  any  hat,  his  cheeks 
like  two  jacqueminot  roses.  "  A  goose-egg !  "  he 
gasped,  as  he  ran  at  full  speed. 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  Mr.  Milton.  "  Bobbie, 
where  are  they  ?  I  don't  see  them  !  " 

"  I  run  ahead  ! "  gasped  Bobbie.  "  They  're 
coming  on  the  old  stage.  I  cut  across  Deacon 
Somers's  grain-field,  and  got  here  first." 

"  Bobbie  Snevel !  "  cried  Miss  Milton.  "  How 
could  you  cut  across  Deacon  Somers's  nice  field  ? 
You  know  he  will  be  enraged." 

"  Well,  I  know,  but  I  couldn't  help  it.  There 
were  the  fellars  on  the  stage-coach,  singing  and 
shouting,  —  old  Milliken's  grays  for  leaders  ;  and 
I  wanted  to  get  here  fust." 

"  Don't  do  so  again,"  said  Miss  Milton,  patting 
his  red  cheeks  with  her  soft  hand. 

"  Goose-egg,  do  you  hear,  Mr.  Grandhurst !  " 
exclaimed  Mr.  Milton.  "  Come,  let 's  get  out  the 
flag,  and  all  stand  ready  to  give  three  cheers  as 
they  come  up." 


24  THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

At  that  moment  the  stage  burst  into  view  at 
the  end  of  the  avenue.  The  ball  men  waved 
their  bats,  to  which  they  had  tied  their  handker- 
chiefs. The  little  bewhiskered  driver,  with  his 
hands  full  of  reins  and  his  right  foot  on  the 
brake,  urged  his  horses  down  the  slope  which  led 
into  a  little  ravine  at  some  distance  from  the 
house.  Milliken's  grays  dashed  on,  with  their 
nostrils  expanded  and  their  manes  flying  wildly 
in  the  air.  "  Hurrah  !  "  shouted  the  men  on  the 
coach.  "  Hurrah  !  "  replied  the  group  on  the  ver- 
anda. Crack !  sounded  the  whip  of  the  driver. 
The  old  coach  creaked  and  clucked  and  rumbled. 
The  chains  and  hooks  of  the  harness  jingled 
together.  "  Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  "  cried  the  ball 
men  again.  "  Hooray  !  "  shouted  Mr.  Milton,  in 
the  utmost  enthusiasm.  "  High  !  "  ejaculated 
the  driver ;  and  the  leaders,  flying  through  the 
little  ravine,  bounded  up  the  avenue,  followed  by 
the  patient  horses  at  the  pole  at  full  gallop,  were 
reined  up  in  a  masterly  manner  in  front  of  the 
Milton  mansion.  "  This  is  glorious,  boys  !  "  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Milton.  "  Come,  get  down  :  you  've 
covered  yourselves  with  renown.  Put  up  your 
horses,  driver ;  and  all  of  you  come  in  and  have 
some  refreshments." 

"  Gimme  your  bats,"  cried  Bobbie,  embracing 
the  one  already  in  his  possession  as  a  lord- 
mayor  might  his  mace.  "  Where  's  the  ball  ? " 


MOONLIGHT.  2$ 

"  Here,"  said  Ned  Black,  the  captain  of  the 
nine,  tossing  it  to  the  enthusiastic  boy. 

"  That 's  the  ball !  "  said  Bobbie,  showing  it 
in  triumph  to  Miss  Milton. 

"  Well,  fellows,  you  really  did  famously,"  said 
a  young  man,  with  white  down-like  whiskers, 
advancing  from  the  group  of  village  people  who 
had  congregated.  "  I  should  think  that  you 
would  be  completely  exhausted  ;  it  has  been  a 
fearfully  hot  day  for  May." 

"  O  Dick  !  were  you  really  out  to-day  ?  "  said 
Miss  Milton,  in  a  sarcastic  tone.  "  I  supposed 
you  would  spend  it  in  your  hammock.  Really, 
you  showed  great  courage  in  exposing  yourself." 

"  It  was  brave,  wasn't  it,"  replied  Mr.  Richard 
Softy,  with  a  drawl ;  "  but  I  put  some  fern  leaves 
in  my  hat,  and  managed  to  pull  through." 

"  Thank  you  very  much  for  coming  to  see  the 
match,  Dick,"  said  Ned  Black,  extending  his 
hand  in  a  manly  way  to  Dick. 

"  Aw !  feel  deeply  thankful  that  my  efforts 
were  appreciated,"  said  Mr.  Dick  Softy,  accept- 
ing the  proffered  hand ;  and  the  two  young  men 
swung  round  each  other  in  a  comical  way  before 
Miss  Milton. 

"  Mr.  Softy,"  said  Miss  Milton  to  Mr.  Grand- 
hurst,  after  the  formalities  of  the  introduction 
had  taken  place,  "believes  that  we  are  all  a 
little  crazy,  and  would  that  all  the  world  might 


26  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

take  to  hammocks  a  while.  He  doesn't  like  to 
have  the  quiet  of  this  pastoral  neighborhood 
invaded  by  the  fierce  and  dangerous  excitement 
of  a  base-ball  conflict.  He  sees  floating  before 
his  eyes  the  maimed  fingers  and  the  blackened 
visages; — but  come,  I'm  not  going  to  expose 
you,  Dick.  I  must  go  in  and  help  uncle  enter- 
tain." 

The  company  followed  their  host  and  hostess 
through  the  large  hall  to  the  dining-room,  where 
a  bountiful  table  was  set.  The  base-ball  men 
were  still  clad  in  their  costumes  of  gray,  with 
the  letter  D,  standing  for  Dornfield,  upon  their 
breasts.  Their  faces  were  red  from  the  fierce 
contest  and  the  hot  sun,  and  they  ate  the 
ice-cream  with  great  relish.  Mr.  Tom  Milton 
stood  at  the  head  of  the  table,  looking  like  an 
emperor.  His  cheery  voice  rang  out  above  the 
clatter  of  the  dishes  and  the  roar  of  many  voices. 
"  Tom  Handy,  pass  your  glass  !  have  some  more 
champagne.  Send  up  the  boys'  glasses !  Ned 
Black,  look  out  for  your  men.  See  to  it  that 
they  are  as  valiant  at  the  table  as  they  are  on 
the  ball-field.  Sam  Smith,  have  another  plate 
of  the  salad.  What!  you've  given  in.  Never 
do !  never  do !  Molly,"  he  whispered  to  his 
niece,  "tell  Ned  Black  to  look  out  for  Pat 
O'Callahan,  and  see  that  he  doesn't  have  too 
much  champagne.  Come,  Mr.  Grandhurst,  join 


MOONLIGHT.  27 


in !  You  've  arrived  on  the  soil  of  Dornfield 
just  in  time.  We  are  going  to  have  a  reception 
and  village  f$te  this  evening.  Grounds  illumi- 
nated, and  so  forth.  Won't  have  any  thing 
more,  hey  ?  Well,  come,  I  want  to  show  you  my 
pictures." 

Ernest  Grandhurst  followed  his  host  through 
the  crowd  of  village  people  who  were  accepting 
the  rich  man's  hospitality.  Their  progress  was 
extremely  slow  ;  for  Mr.  Milton  stopped  repeat- 
edly to  shake  hands  with  everybody,  and  to  urge 
them  to  be  as  merry  as  possible.  At  length 
they  emerged  from  the  throng,  and  entered  the 
library. 

"  Nice  old  fireplace,  this,"  said  Grandhurst, 
leaning  on  his  cane  with  his  gloved  hand,  and 
pointing  with  the  other  to  the  tall  brass  and- 
irons. 

"  I  like  it.     Now,    I    want    to    show   you  my 

pictures.     You   are  a  judge  :  seen  the  best  in 

Europe.     Now,  there  's  a  portrait  of  my  mastiff, 

-  Prince.    I  call  that  good  ;  don't  you  ?    Perfect 

likeness,  —  perfect  likeness,  sir !  " 

"  Who  is  the  painter  ? "  asked  Grandhurst, 
smoothing  his  brown  beard  from  under  his  chin, 
and  waving  his  cane  in  a  connoisseur-like  manner 
over  the  outlines  of  the  picture. 

"  Smith,  sir.     Fine  painter.     An  American." 

Grandhurst  ejaculated,   "Hum  —  ha,"    in    an 


28  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

undertone,  and  followed  his  host  to  his  next 
treasure. 

"  This  is  a  landscape  by  Brown :  also  an 
American.  I  believe  in  encouraging  native 
talent.  Bless  us  !  if  we  are  not  Americans, 
what  are  we  ?  Fine  touches  there.  See  that 
mist  on  the  hill !  " 

Grandhurst  said  it  reminded  him  very  slightly 
of  Ruysdael,  with  a  preponderance  in  his  accent 
upon  the  "  very." 

"  Hurrah  !  hurrah !  "  came  floating  out  from 
the  dining-room. 

"  Ha,  ha !  they  are  still  at  it,"  chuckled  Mr. 
Milton. 

"  Now,  here  's  a  statue  by  a  young  American 
of  a  minute-man  at  Concord.  Glorious,  I  say! 
Look  at  that  costume  and  that  resolute  face !  " 

Grandhurst  put  on  his  eye-glasses,  and  walked 
about  the  figure,  surveying  it  with  a  calm, 
critical  eye. 

"  It 's  national,  isn't  it  ? "  said  Mr.  Milton. 
"  Bless  me,  I  've  heard  my  grandmother  describe 
just  such  a  fellow :  how  he  left  his  plow, 
took  his  old  musket,  and  went  to  battle.  Depend 
upon  it,  this  country  has  got  lots  of  talent.  Now, 
I  call  that  magnificent  ;  don't  you  ? " 

Grandhurst  thought  that  the  animus  of  the 
sculptor  was  good  ;  but  there  was  no  concealing 
the  fact  that  America  was  still  in  the  Dark  Ages 


MOONLIGHT.  29 


in  regard  to  art.  Mr.  Milton  did  not  reply  ;  for 
at  that  moment  his  niece  came  into  the  library, 
and  asked  him  to  take  her  place  for  a  while  in  the 
dining-room.  The  old  gentleman  put  his  hand 
affectionately  upon  her  shoulder,  and  left  her 
with  Grandhurst. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Grandhurst,"  said  she,  after  some 
commonplaces  had  been  exchanged,  "  how  does 
America  seem,  after  such  a  long  residence  in 
Europe  ? " 

"Very  crude,"  said  he,  seating  himself  grace- 
fully on  the  lounge,  after  Miss  Milton  had  taken 
a  comfortable  arm-chair. 

'•'  Every  thing  seems  inartistic,  and  in  the 
rough,  I  suppose." 

"  I  find  much  in  Boston,"  replied  Grandhurst, 
"  that  is  enjoyable  ;  there  is  really  some  feeling 
there  for  high  art  and  literature  :  but  New  York 
is  a  topsy-turvy  place.  Wants  a  strainer,  and 
two  centuries  of  some  refining  process." 

"  Well,  we  depend  on  men  like  you,  the 
flower  of  our  youth,  educated  abroad,  to  come 
home  and  strain  us.  I  'm  going  to  have  a  fete 
ckampetre  this  afternoon  and  evening;  and, 
although  we  can't  compete  in  picturesqueness 
with  village  festivals  in  Normandy,  for  instance, 
still  we  are  going  to  have  a  real  American  good 
time.  I  hope  you  will  like  it."  A  sudden  de- 
mand was  made  upon  her  at  that  moment,  and 
she  excused  herself. 


30  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Fine-looking  girl.  Some  good  points  about 
all  these  things  here,  too.  But  every  thing  is 
raw !  Hum,  hum  !  By  the  way,  what  an  absurd 
fuss  this  is  over  some  cracked  base-ball  players ! 
If  it  were  only  cricket,  you  know,  —  but  base 
ball,  rounders,  and  that  sort  of  thing  !  I  '11  go 
down  and  call  on  my  old  friends  the  Silvers, 
and  go  to  \\\\sfete  in  the  evening."  Thus  saying, 
he  went  to  the  room  which  the  man-servant  told 
him  had  been  assigned  to  him,  and  prepared 
himself  for  making  a  call. 

In  the  dining-room  there  was  great  jollity. 
Toasts  were  rapidly  drunk  to  the  successful 
nine.  Mr.  Milton  exhorted  Ned  Black  to  look 
out  for  Pat  O'Callahan,  the  pitcher,  who  had  an 
unfortunate  liking  for  the  bottle.  Presently 
Pat  began  to  remember  some  grievances  of  the 
late  match  :  Bob  Twillery  had  run  against  him, 
and  Sam  Greene  had  trodden  on  his  toes,  and 
Ned  Black  had  called  him  by  some  opprobrious 
epithet.  He  began  to  grumble,  and  shake  his 
fists,  and  draw  deep  breaths  through  his  nostrils. 

"  If  it  hadn't  been  for  me,  chaps,  ye  'd  have 
been  sorry  off !  It  takes  an  Irish  boy  to  show 
ye  Americans  how  to  win.  An'  didn't  I  take  a 
hot  one  from  Smithy's  bat  ?  An',  Bob  Franklin, 
why  didn't  ye  catch  that  ball  I  sent  ye  ?  " 

"  Come,  Pat,"  said  Ned  Black,  "  let  us  have 
a  talk  in  the  library  about  the  next  match." 


MOONLIGHT.  3 1 


"All  right,"  said  the  pitcher,  giving  a  parting 
glare  at  his  associates,  and  following  the  captain. 

"  Sorry !  sorry  !  "  said  Mr.  Milton.  "  It  is  a 
pity  we  can't  supply  his  place  on  the  nine.  He 
is  a  regular  tyrant,  and  knows  how  dependent 
we  are  on  him." 

"  We  can't  get  along  without  him,"  said  Sam 
Smith,  the  short-stop  ;  "  he  pitches  splendidly, 
and  understands  the  game  thoroughly.  We 
made  a  mistake,  perhaps,  in  letting  him  join  the 
nine  in  the  beginning  ;  but  now  we  can't  spare 
him,  and  he  knows  it.  We  have  got  to  stand 
his  browbeating,  and  pay  him  well  for  the 
afternoons  he  plays." 

"  Well,  boys,  manage  him,  —  manage  him," 
said  Mr.  Milton.  "  There  's  one  more  game  ;  and 
we  mustn't  let  the  Milltown  nine  beat  us.  We 
can  put  up  with  Pat  for  a  little  while,  for  the 
sake  of  the  victory." 

Ned  Black,  after  safely  sending  off  Pat  in  a 
carriage  for  his  humble  lodgings,  came  back  to 
the  library,  where  he  found  Miss  Milton  and 
Richard  Softy. 

"  Mr.  Softy  has  just  been  telling  me  of  your 
famous  batting,"  said  she  to  Ned,  with  a  beam- 
ing smile.  "  It  must  have  been  a  glorious  game." 

"  Well,  it  was  a  good  game,"  said  the  captain 
of  the  nine.  "  Dick,  what  in  the  world  were 
you  trying  to  do  when  that  foul  ball  struck  into 
the  crowd  ?  " 


33  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Get  out  of  the  way,  of  course,"  replied  Mr. 
Dick  Softy. 

Miss  Milton  bent  her  large,  blue  eyes  inquir- 
ingly upon  Dick. 

"  Foul  balls  dangerous,  you  know,"  drawled 
that  young  man.  "  Deuced.  Something  like 
boomerangs  :  curl  round  your  head,  and  pop  into 
your  eyes." 

"  Mr.  Black,  can't  you  get  Mr.  Softy  into  your 
nine?"  asked  Miss  Milton,  with  a  turn  of  her 
proud  lip. 

"  Yas,  yas ;  put  me  in  as  a  short-stop," 
drawled  Mr.  Softy.  "  I  '11  be  true  to  the  words." 

Ned  Black  bent  his  fine  gray  eyes  upon  the 
beautiful  young  lady  for  an  instant,  and  then 
turned  away  his  head. 

"  I  envied  you  your  comfortable  umbrella, 
Dick,  and  your  havelock,"  said  Ned  Black.  "  At 
one  time  it  was  very  hot,  or  I  felt  especially  so 
after  that  home  run." 

"  By  George,  didn't  you  !  "  said  Dick  Softy. 
"  I  knew  you  wanted  to  be  in  my  shoes." 

"  In  your  slippers,  I  suppose  you  mean,"  said 
Miss  Milton,  in  a  tone  of  raillery  ;  "  for  I  will 
wager  you  went  to  the  match  in  your  slippers." 

"  I  believe  you  are  right,"  replied  Dick  Softy. 

"  The  idea !  "  cried  Miss  Milton,  with  a  hearty 
laugh. 

"  Most  excellent  one,"  retorted  Dick,  with  a 


MOONLIGHT.  33 


humorous  smile.  "  It  was  a  hot  day,  and  I  was 
thoroughly  comfortable  in  them." 

"  Did  you  go  in  your  dressing-gown,  too  ?  " 

"  Didn't  think  of  it." 

"  Oh,  what  a  pity  !  "  cried  Miss  Milton.  "  But, 
Mr.  Black,  I  notice  that  you  have  injured  your 
hand.  Oh,  dear  !  it  's  really  quite  a  severe  acci- 
dent. Let  me  get  some  court-plaster,  or  some 
bandages." 

"Oh,  it's  nothing!"  said  Ned  Black,  "only 
what  a  very  hot  ball  did." 

"I  call  it  a  great  deal,"  said  Miss  Milton, 
bending  her  graceful  figure  over  the  hand,  and 
examining  it  with  great  care. 

"  It  was  real  plucky  in  you  to  stop  that  ball, 
Ned,"  drawled  Dick  Softy.  "I  wouldn't  have 
touched  it  for  the  world." 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  Miss  Milton,  looking 
at  him  scornfully.  "  I  declare,  I  never  knew  a 
man  so  proud  of  not  being  muscular  as  you 
are." 

"  I  'm  cultivating  my  mind  and  a  pair  of  lovely 
whiskers,"  said  Dick. 

"  I  should  judge  so,  in  regard  to  the  whiskers," 
said  Miss  Milton,  with  a  laugh  ;  and  she  glided 
out  of  the  room  to  get  the  court-plaster. 

Ned  Black  walked  about  the  room  during 
her  absence,  with  a  self-assured  air,  gazing  curi- 
ously at  the  rich  furniture,  and  trolling  a  manly 

2*  C 


34  THE   GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

song,  while  Mr.  Dick  Softy  reclined  com- 
fortably on  the  lounge,  watching  him  with  an 
apparently  mild  look  out  of  his  girl-like  eyes. 
Presently,  Dick  arose,  and  strolled  out  of  the 
room.  He  looked  into  the  dining-room  :  it  was 
nearly  deserted.  Old  Mr.  Milton  stood  at  the 
end  of  the  room  talking  with  Mr.  Graham,  the 
president  of  the  Dornfield  bank.  The  domestics 
and  the  men-servants  were  busily  engaged  in 
putting  up  Chinese  lanterns  on  the  trees  in  the 
lawn  ;  and  preparations  were  pushed  forward  for 
the  coming  fete  champetre. 

"  That  was  a  high  old  game,  wasn't  it  ? "  said 
a  merry  voice  behind  him.  The  young  man 
turned  and  saw  Bobbie  Snevel. 

"  First-rate,"  replied  Dick. 

"  I  thought  we  were  going  to  be  whipped  this 
time.  It  was  all  Pat  O'Callahan's  pitching  and 
Ned  Black's  catching,  wasn't  it  ?  The  other 
fellows  made  lots  of  blunders.  Didn't  Sam 
Green  muff,  though,  —  regular  old  muff.  I  didn't 
like  Ned  Black's  running  against  that  little 
Smithers  on  the  Milltown  nine.  Fellers  say 
that  he  did  it  on  purpose  to  make  the  Milltown 
nine  put  another  man  on  first  base." 

"  Oh,  no,  that 's  slander  !  "  said  Dick  Softy  ; 
"  couldn't  be." 

"  I  don't  think  it  could,  nuther :  he  hurt 
Smithers." 


MOONLIGHT.  35 


Bobbie  Snevel  walked  sturdily  beside  his  com- 
panion, tossing  a  base  ball  from  one  hand  to  the 
other,  and  occasionally  putting  one  hand  behind 
his  back  and  tossing  the  ball  in  a  dexterous 
manner  over  his  shoulder.  "  Come,"  said  he,  at 
length,  "  give  me  a  fly,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  I  dawn't  believe  I  can  throw  a  ball,  Bobbie." 

"  Oh,  my  !  of  course  you  can.  There,  that 's 
fust-rate !  By !  you  can  throw,  can't  you  ? 
Phew !  that 's  a  hot  one.  How  far  can  you 
throw,  any  way  ?  My  gracious  !  you  can  throw 
as  well  as  Ned  Black,  and  you  hain't  ever  said 
any  thing  about  it.  Why  don't  you  play  ? " 

"  Oh,  it 's  too  much  of  a  bore,  Bobbie.  Gets 
your  ringers  all  knocked  up,  and  eyes  blackened, 
and  nose  broken." 

"  Oh,  but  the  fun,  you  know  !  Fellers  think 
you  are  soft ;  but  I  like  you,  any  way,",  said  the 
boy,  cuddling  close  to  the  young  man. 

Dick  Softy's  eyes  glistened,  and  he  put  his 
arm  about  the  little  fellow.  One  of  the  base- 
ball nine  at  that  moment  ran  down  the  avenue, 
and  Bobbie,  in  a  fit  of  hero-worship,  left  his  com- 
panion and  hastened  after  the  ball-player. 

Dick  Softy  looked  at  his  watch,  —  it  wanted 
two  hours  of  the  time  appointed  for  the  fete. 
He  walked  rapidly  to  his  lodgings.  He  looked 
longingly  at  his  hammock,  and  a  new  novel 
which  was  on  the  table ;  but  he  resolutely  took 


36  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

off  his  coat,  put  on  a  light  gymnasium  cos- 
tume, and  repaired  to  the  garret  of  his  house. 
This  place  he  had  fitted  up  with  various  appli- 
ances. In  one  coVner  was  a  great,  stuffed  meal- 
bag,  which  he  pommelled,  standing  before  it  with 
the  left  foot  advanced,  and  his  hands  well  in  play 
before  his  breast.  From  the  middle  of  the  roof- 
tree  hung  a  heavy  ball,  by  a  long  hempen  cord. 
Seizing  this  with  one  hand,  he  flung  it  with  all 
his  might  in  various  directions,  and  caught  it  on 
its  furious  returns.  Twice  the  ball  wound  its 
cord  about  his  waist  like  a  snake,  and  thumped 
him  fearfully  on  the  breast ;  but,  in  no  wise 
daunted,  he  kept  up  the  exercise.  Tired  of  the 
ball,  he  then  took  up  a  pair  of  Indian  clubs,  and 
swung  them  hither  and  thither,  with  short  arm 
and  extended  arm.  Having  sufficiently  prac- 
tised his  arms  and  shoulders,  he  took  to  rising 
and  sinking  on  one  leg  in  rapid  succession,  look- 
ing with  great  satisfaction  at  the  growing  promi- 
nence of  his  muscles.  Then  he  tied  a  ten-pound 
weight  to  one  foot,  and,  lying  on  his  back,  ex- 
tended and  drew  in  his  leg,  after  the  manner  of 
the  piston-rod  of  a  steam-engine.  This  he  did 
with  both  limbs,  and  then  paused  to  examine  an 
anatomical  diagram.  Apparently  satisfied  with 
the  process  he  had  taken  to  bring  out  the  leg 
muscles,  he  finished  his  exercise  with  a  cold 
bath. 


MOONLIGHT.  37 


Grandhurst,  in  the  mean  while,  had  paid  his 
visit  to  the  Silvers.  "  You  find  our  little  village  in 
a  state  of  great  excitement,  Mr.  Grandhurst,"  said 
Mrs.  Silver.  "  Our  base-ball  nine  have  played 
two  matches  with  the  nine  of  Milltown,  and  both 
nines  have  won  one  game ;  so  that  there  is  one 
more  to  be  played  to  decide  the  championship." 

"  Really,  you  have  revived  the  spirit  of  the 
Olympian  games,"  replied  Mr.  Grandhurst.  "  I 
find  that  young  and  old  are  intensely  excited. 
The  Miltons  were  enthusiastic  in  their  reception 
of  the  players." 

"  Dreadful  tiresome,  this  base-ball  enthusi- 
asm ! "  groaned  Mr.  Silver,  from  his  arm-chair. 
"Dreadful!  Can't  understand  it.  It's  all  of  a 
piece  with  the  American  character,  —  every  thing 
by  extremes.  Now,  these  young  chaps  who 
play  are  exhausting  their  vitality  in  a  shocking 
way,  —  perfectly  shocking  !  I  wonder  how  old 
Tom  Milton,  who  is  an  eminently  respectable 
old  gentleman,  can  be  so  interested,  and  allow 
that  niece  of  his  to  be  so  wild  over  base-ball 
players." 

"  She  is  a  sort  of  Di  Vernon,  isn't  she  ? " 
asked  Ernest  Grandhurst. 

"  Fine  girl,"  remarked  Mrs.  Silver,  medita- 
tively, looking  at  her  rings. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Mr.  Silver,  waving  his  hand 
in  an  aristocratic  manner.  "  Fine  girl ;  but  she 


38  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

lacks  reserve.  She  goes  romping  round  with 
that  little  Bobbie  Snevel,  and  understands  all 
the  affairs  of  this  base-ball  nine  as  well  as  one 
of  the  players ;  works  them  flags  ;  ties  up  their 
broken  ringers  ;  and  bets  on  them,  for  aught  I 
know." 

"  O  Francis  !  don't  be  too  severe,"  said 
Mrs.  Silver,  with  a  laugh. 

"  I  've  depicted  her  just  as  she  is,"  replied  her 
husband.  "  Tom  Milton  ought  to  send  her 
abroad  ;  he  is  making  a  mistake.  But  he  says, 
'  Lord  bless  you !  Molly  is  a  pure  specimen  of 
a  downright  Yankee  girl,  and  I  'm  proud  of  her! 
She  hasn't  any  nonsense  and  parlez  vous  about 
her.'  " 

"  Ha,  ha ! "  laughed  Grandhurst  "  Good  peo- 
ple to  study.  I  shall  be  curious  to  analyze  her. 
She  strikes  me  as  a  person  who  is  suffering 
from  a  volcano  of  feelings.  Has  she  any  lit- 
erary or  artistic  tastes?" 

"  No,  I  think  not,"  said  Mrs.  Silver  ;  "  but  the 
Holvers,  in  Worcester,  —  who,  you  know,  are 
very  literary,  —  think  every  thing  of  her." 

'•  Well,  Ernest,  to  -change  the  subject,"  said 
Mr.  Silver,  "are  you  going  to  settle  down  in 
this  crude,  going-to-ruin  republic  ?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  I  shall  exhaust  its  capabilities 
very  soon,"  said  Grandhurst.  "  I  do  not  find 
myself  in  the  mood  to  put  my  shoulder  to  the 


MOONLIGHT.  39 


muddy  wheel.  This  life  is  so  short,  that  I  fear 
the  time  will  not  come,  in  my  lifetime,  when 
America  will  be  toned  down  so  as  not  to  shock 
my  tastes.  I  fear  that  it  will  be  economy  in  me 
to  go  back  to  Europe  ;  for  I  find  there  what  my 
tastes  require.  Every  thing  is  so  crude  here." 

"  It  is,  truly,"  sighed  Mr.  Silver,  folding  his 
white,  well-kept  hands  ;  "  and  I  believe  that  we 
are  going  to  the  dogs.  Just  look  at  the  corrup- 
tion at  Washington.  No  decent  man  will  go 
into  politics.  Look  at  the  tone  of  the  public 
press.  Why,  I  've  given  up  reading  American 
papers,  and  confine  myself  to  the  '  Spectator ' 
and  the  '  Athenaeum.'  I  used  to  write ;  but  I 
don't  now.  You  've  got  to  write  down  for  the 
American  public.  And,  then,  look  at  the  de- 
graded taste  for  art  you  find  here.  It  will  need 
two  centuries  of  refining  processes.  And,  as 
you  say,  we  who  are  accustomed  to  better 
things  had  better  go  where  our  tastes  can  be 
gratified." 

"You  remember,  Mr.  Grandhurst,"  said  Mrs. 
Silver,  "  that  delightful  home  we  had  in  Flor- 
ence. How  could  we  have  left  it !  But,  then, 
affairs  took  a  sudden  turn,  and  we  found  our- 
selves condemned  to  this  little  American  village. 
However,  we  endeavor  to  create  an  art  atmos- 
phere among  ourselves.  And,  then,  we  are  in 
constant  receipt  of  letters  from  abroad :  Mrs. 


40  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

Rogers  writes  me  every  week  from  Rome.  Have 
you  heard  of  her  receptions  this  past  winter  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  !  "  replied  Grandhurst ;  "  you  are 
aware  that  I  left  Rome  in  the  middle  of  the 
season." 

"  Oh,  to  be  sure.  Well,  Francis,  we  shall 
make  the  most  of  Mr.  Grandhurst  while  he  re- 
mains with  us,  sha'n't  we  ?  Now,  we  must  pre- 
pare for  the  Miltons'  —  what  shall  we  call  it  ?  " 
said  she,  with  a  comical  uplifting  of  the  eye- 
brows. 

"  Base-ball  feast,"  said  her  husband. 

When  the  Silvers  and  Grandhurst  set  out,  it 
was  in  the  early  twilight,  and  the  Chinese  lan- 
terns on  the  spacious  grounds  of  the  Miltons 
presented  a  brilliant  appearance.  On  an  arch 
over  the  main  entrance  was  inscribed  "  Victory," 
in  large  letters  formed  of  red  roses.  Ernest 
Grandhurst  tossed  his  head  as  he  passed  under 
it,  and  the  Silvers  laughed  in  a  very  aristocratic 
way.  A  party  of  young  men  were  preparing 
fireworks  upon  the  lawn.  Bobbie  Snevel  was 
running  hither  and  thither,  on  a  thousand  com- 
missions ;  and  the  grounds  were  already  dotted 
with  guests.  Old  Mr.  Milton  stood  on  the 
piazza  with  his  niece,  welcoming  every  one  in  a 
hearty  manner,  and  continually  exhorting  a  band 
of  music  to  strike  up,  whenever  there  was  too 
long  a  pause.  The  musicians  —  who  were  en- 


MOONLIGHT.  41 


sconced  behind  a  group  of  flowering  white 
azaleas  —  smiled  at  the  old  man's  enthusiasm, 
and  almost  blew  their  lungs  out,  between  their 
hearty  potations  of  beer.  Over  the  front-door 
of  the  house  were  grouped  a  collection  of  base- 
ball bats  around  the  word  "  Goose-egg."  Miss 
Milton  received  the  Silvers  and  Mr.  Grandhurst 
with  great  cordiality.  She  wore  a  blue  sash : 
for  blue  was  the  color  of  the  Dornfield  nine. 
The  lawn  was  soon  covered  by  the  gay  prome- 
naders.  The  base-ball  men  were  the  favorites 
among  the  young  ladies,  and,  indeed,  were  the 
observed  of  all  beholders.  Ned  Black,  the  cap- 
tain of  the  nine,  was  very  marked  in  his  atten- 
tions to  Miss  Milton  ;  and  she  did  not  seem 
displeased.  She  held  a  base  ball  in  her  hand, 
and  continually  threw  it  at  some  valiant  player, 
who  caught  it  and  threw  it  back,  when  she 
jumped  quickly  behind  Ned  Black,  holding  her 
hands  up  with  sportiveness,  while  the  captain 
of  the  nine  caught  the  ball. 

Dick  Softy  promenaded  the  lawn  with  Miss 
Rose  Snevel,  Bobbie  Snevel's  pretty  sister. 
She  had  large,  blue  eyes,  which  were  continually 
watching  Ned  Black  and  Miss  Milton.  Dick 
Softy's  eyes,  also,  were  always  turned  in  the  same 
direction.  They  carried  on  a  desultory  conver- 
sation together,  continually  keeping,  by  a  strange 
chance,  in  the  immediate  proximity  of  Miss  Mil- 


42  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

ton,  and  protected  from  the  observation  of  the 
latter  by  the  hedge  of  arbor-vitae.  Here  were 
two  young  people,  —  one  a  sentimental  young 
man,  the  other  a  pure,  young  girl,  as  fresh  as  a 
rose, —  walking  in  the  sweet  June  twilight,  disturb- 
ing the  early  sleep  of  a  thousand  bright  flowers 
in  the  old  garden,  beneath  the  glowing  evening 
sky,  with  its  one  bright  star  just  over  the  wood- 
bine-covered high  wall.  Why  should  they  not 
have  whispered  sweet  things  to  each  other  ? 
Alas  !  they  were  not  mated.  Fates  should  have 
made  it,  —  Dick  Softy  and  Molly  Milton ;  Ned 
Black  and  Rose  Snevel :  so  their  hearts  said. 

Presently  a  loud  dinner-bell  was  heard,  and 
then  one  of  the  musicians  sounded  a  reveille  on 
a  bugle.  The  gay  company  hurried  to  the  place 
where  Mr.  Milton  stood,  flourishing  a  piece  of 
paper  in  the  air. 

"  Attention  ! "  cried  the  old  gentleman,  in  a 
sturdy  voice.  "  I  've  just  received  a  telegram  from 
the  Hon.  Charles  Mimmer,  our  representative  to 
Congress.  Shall  I  read  it  ?  " 

"  Read  it !  Hear,  hear  !  "  cried  a  hundred 
voices. 

"  Well,  here  it  is,"  said  Mr.  Milton,  clearing  his 
throat : — 

'"CAPITOL  AT  WASHINGTON. 

"  '  Congratulations  to  the  Dornfield  nine  ;  the  news  of 
their  great  victory  resounds  at  the  Capitol  of  the  nation. 

"  '  CHARLES  MIMMER.'  " 


MOONLIGHT.  43 


"  Hooray  !  hooray  !  "  shouted  the  hundred 
voices  ;  and  six  fire-rockets  rent  the  air  in  a  blaze 
of  sparks,  and  the  band  struck  up  "  Hail  Colum- 
bia." After  the  excitement  had  subsided,  Mr. 
Tom  Milton  announced  that  supper  was  ready ; 
and  the  guests  rushed  joyously  into  the  dining- 
room. 

"  Think  we  are  a  crazy  set,  hey !  Mr.  Grand- 
hurst  ?  "  said  the  old  gentleman,  accosting  the 
young  traveller.  "  No  doubt  you  do  ;  but  we 
must  have  a  blow-out  occasionally.  Nature  re- 
quires it  ;  does  the  system  good.  You  said,  I 
believe,  that  you  don't  like  a  base-ball  match  ? 
Don't  particularly,  hey  ?  Now,  I  do  ;  pretty  game ! 
I  watch  it  like  a  boy  ;  makes  me  thrill  through 
and  through  ;  wish  I  were  young  again.  Ha,  ha ! 
Then,  Mr.  Grandhurst,  there  's  a  reason  in  our 
madness.  The  Milltown  folks  are  very  uppish, 
and  try  to  run  ahead  of  us  quiet  Dornfield  folks 
in  every  thing.  They  got  the  branch  railroad 
through  their  town,  and  left  us  out  in  the  cold. 
But  we  can  beat  'em  at  base  ball.  Baslee,  the 
president  of  the  Milltown  Excelsior  Mills,  has 
high  bets  on  the  result  of  the  next  game,  and 
pays  the  players  in  the  Milltown  nine  great  sal- 
aries. •  Then  there 's  Jackson  over  there,  too. 
Jackson  and  I  were  old  rivals  in  business, — 
rivals  in  every  thing.  Good  whist-player :  so 
am  I.  Always  got  beaten,  however,  when  Jack- 


44  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

son  played.  Now,  he  swears  that  the  Milltown 
nine  shall  beat  Tom  Milton's  nine.  Bless  you  ! 
it  isn't  my  nine.  The  whole  village  takes  an 
interest  in  it.  Perhaps  I  make  it  a  little  easier 
for  the  chaps  to  play  :  that 's  all." 

"  This  is  a  new  phase  of  American  life,"  said 
Ernest  Grandhurst  ;  "  I  am  interested  in  study- 
ing it." 

"  Lord  bless  you,  sir,  enjoy  it ;  don't  study  it. 
You  mustn't  analyze  everything.  What's  the 
fragrance  of  a  rose,  when  you  analyze  it.  The 
chemists  can  make  the  same  odor  out  of  coal- 
tar.  Enjoy  life,  sir;  that's  my  maxim." 

Ernest  Grandhurst  smiled  graciously,  and 
accompanied  his  hale  host  to  the  dining-room. 
Presently  he  extricated  himself  from  the  crowd 
and  joined  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Silver,  who  were  in  the 
library,  examining  the  art  treasures  of  the  Mil- 
tons. 

"  Shocking  affair  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Francis 
Silver,  pointing  with  his  gloved  hand  at  a  study 
of  a  head  by  Jones. 

"  Here  is  a  photograph  from  a  Rossetti !  "  ex- 
claimed Mrs.  Silver  ;  "  and  here  is  a  Burne  Jones ! 
Why,  I  declare,  how  did  they  get  into  this 
house  ? " 

"  Fine  grotesqueness  there,"  said  Ernest 
Grandhurst,  holding  the  photographs  at  the  level 
of  his  right  ear,  and  looking  at  them  sideways. 


MOONLIGHT.  45 


Mr.  Francis  Silver  pointed  with  his  cane  at  a 
design  for  a  soldier's  monument  for  Dornfield  ; 
and  the  three  laughed  internally. 

"Dreadful!  dreadful!"  sighed  Mr.  Silver. 
"  Fanny,  we  can  only  escape  the  fate  of  being- 
obliged  to  gaze  upon  this  village  obelisk,  by 
going  to  Europe." 

"  Oh,  they  won't  put  it  up  !  Do  you  think  they 
will  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Silver. 

"  Old  Tom  Milton  will  have  his  own  way," 
replied  Mr.  Silver.  "  He  is  bent  upon  having 
something  national  in  art,  as  he  says  ;  and  be- 
lieves in  encouraging  native  talent.  '  If  it  is  not 
so  good  as  European  work,'  he  says,  '  why,  it 's 
done  by  our  own  American  fingers,  and  there  's 
merit  in  that.'  " 

"  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  Grandhurst.  "  Isn't 
it  devilish  strange  !  —  beg  pardon,  Mrs.  Silver,  — 
but  isn't  it  odd,  you  know  ?  Ah  !  Miss  Milton," 
said  he,  upon  that  young  lady's  sudden  entrance, 
—  "  yourftie  is  a  brilliant  success." 

"  Could  you  get  any  refreshments  ?  "  said  Miss 
Milton,  giving  one  hand  to  Mrs.  Silver  and  the 
other  to  Mr.  Silver.  "  Every  one  is  so  enthusi- 
astic, and  hungry  in  consequence,  that  I  'm 
afraid  you  could  not  get  near  the  supper-table." 

"  Oh,  we  succeeded  very  well,  —  very  well 
indeed,"  said  Mrs.  Silver. 

"  Just  think, —  a  goose-egg !    Isn't  it  glorious ! " 


46  THE   GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

exclaimed  the  young  lady.  "  I  never  saw  Uncle 
Tom  so  exhilarated." 

"  He  really  enjoys  it,  doesn't  he,"  said  Mrs. 
Silver,  with  a  sweet  smile,  and  with  a  look  of 
admiration  at  the  fresh  beauty  of  Miss  Milton. 

"  Oh,  we  all  do.  I  think  it's  glorious  !  perfectly 
splendid  !  Now,  do  have  a  good  time,  won't  you  ? 
I  've  got  to  look  out  for  the  boys,  and  see  that 
they  have  a  good  time.  They  've  earned  it,  I  'm 
sure."  Thus  saying,  with  a  graceful  courtesy,  she 
skipped  out  of  the  room. 

"  Glorious  creature  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Silver. 

"  She 's  a  study  for  you,  Ernest,"  said  Mr. 
Silver,  with  a  languid  air.  "  You  ought  to  see  her 
riding  about  town  in  a  pony-wagon,  generally 
with  a  base-ball  player  in  the  basket-seat  of  the 
footman.  She  knows  all  the  dogs  in  town,  and 
whistles  them  after  her." 

"  I'  m  curious  to  see  what  there  is  beneath 
this  gay,  hoydenish  exterior,"  said  Grandhurst. 

"  You  must  beware,"  laughed  Mrs.  Silver,  "  or 
you  will  be  numbered  among  the  slain." 

While  the  Silvers  thus  sat  conversing  in  the 
library,  the  festivities  were  at  their  height.  The 
soft  moon  had  risen,  and  its  light  streamed  over 
the  lawn,  lighting  up  the  dresses  of  the  ladies, 
and  contrasting  its  silvery  radiance  with  the 
ruddy  glare  of  the  Chinese  lanterns.  The  lofty 
elms  seemed  to  be  wrapped  in  a  sleep  full  of 


MOONLIGHT.  47 


dreams  of  some  fairy  festival  which  was  being 
held  beneath  their  shades.  Presently  the  voices 
of  the  Dornfield  Glee  Club,  led  by  the  manly 
voice  of  Ned  Black,  attracted  the  guests  beneath 
the  balcony  of  the  old  mansion.  They  sang  of 
youth  and  beauty  in  the  soft,  warm  air,  —  in  the 
bright  moonlight,  —  while  lovers  and  maidens 
listened  with  palpitating  hearts,  and  the  old 
smiled  sadly  at  the  remembrance  of  their  own 
youth. 

Miss  Milton,  at  length,  leaving  her  guests  to 
amuse  themselves,  took  Richard  Softy's  arm, 
and  promenaded  in  the  moonlight. 

"  Don't  you  feel  exhausted  by  your  labors  this 
afternoon,  Dick  ? "  said  she. 

"  Awful  spent !  "  exclaimed  her  companion. 
"  Took  a  nap,  however,  before  I  came  ;  feel  all 
right  now." 

"Dick!"  exclaimed  Miss  Milton,  drawing  her 
arm  reproachfully  from  his,  and  surveying  him 
in  the  moonlight,  "  I  'm  ashamed  of  you  ! " 

"  Bless  me,  what  now  !  "  exclaimed  the  young 
man,  twisting  his  moustache. 

"  Why  are  you  not  on  the  nine  ?  "  said  Miss 
Milton,  almost  tearfully. 

"  Heavens !  they  don't  want  me ;  and  I  can 
live  very  comfortably  without  base  ball.  Deused 
awkward,  you  know,  to  go  through  life  with  only 
one  eye,  and  fingers  like  potato-balls." 


48  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

"  If  I  were  a  man,"  said  Miss  Milton,  "  I  'd 
play  my  part  ;  and,  if  base  ball  were  the  part,  I 
would  play  until  all  my  fingers  were  as  crooked 
as  an  eagle's  claw." 

"  But  the  deuce  of  it  is,  base  ball  isn't  my 
part,"  said  her  companion. 

"  What  is  your  part  ?  "  exclaimed  Miss  Milton, 
sarcastically.  "  To  read  novels  in  a  hammock,  and 
go  to  matches  in  slippers.  Now,  Dick,  why  didn't 
you  go  in  a  flowered  dressing-gown  too  ? " 

"  Now,  Miss  Molly,  don't  let 's  quarrel  this  fine 
night,  when  the  jolly  old  moon,  and  all  the  rest 
of  'em,  look  so  serene." 

"  All  the  rest  of  'em  aint  so  very  serene ;  for 
I  'in  mad  with  you,  Dick  Softy.  —  There  !  " 

"  Dreadful  sorry  ;  but  /  'm  perfectly  serene  and 
lovely." 

"  You  anger  me  beyond  measure,  Dick  !  "  ex- 
claimed his  companion,  turning  her  back  upon 
him,  and  plucking  a  rose  to  pieces. 

"  My  dear,  —  my  dear  Miss  Molly  !  here  I  am, 
down  on  my  knees." 

"  Yes  :  right  in  my  uncle's  tulip-bed  !  Oh, 
won't  he  be  mad  !  " 

"  Bless  me  !  "  exclaimed  the  young  man,  jump- 
ing up,  and  looking  at  the  devastation  he  had 
caused. 

"  I  thought  I  heard  you  scream,"  Miss  Milton, 
said  Ned  Black,  advancing  at  that  moment  from 
behind  the  hedge.  "  Are  you  unwell  ?  " 


MOONLIGHT.  49 


"  Not  in  the  least :  I  was  only  alarmed  at  the 
appearance  of  my  uncle's  tulip-bed.  Mr.  Black, 
I  want  you  to  show  me  the  illuminated  foun- 
tain ? " 

"  Most  happy,"  said  the  captain  of  the  nine, 
with  a  look  of  triumph  at  Dick  Softy ;  and  he 
walked  gallantly  off,  with  Miss  Milton  hanging 
upon  his  arm. 

Richard  Softy's  mild  face  looked  disturbed  ; 
but  he  felt  of  his  arm,  and,  as  if  reassured  by  the 
growth  of  his  muscles,  thrust  his  hands  into  his 
pockets,  and  looked  after  Ned  Black  with  a  look 
which  might  have  made  that  young  man  feel 
uncomfortable  coming  froni  any  one  but  Dick 
Softy. 

"  Ned  Black,  we  've  some  old  scores  to  pay 
off,"  whispered  the  good-humored  young  man  to 
himself,  with  a  glitter  in  his  eyes.  "  She  's  mad 
with  me,  is  she  ?  "  said  he  to  himself  ;  "  I  didn't 
think  she  cared  enough  for  me,  to  be  mad  with 
me." 

He  was  interrupted  in  his  meditations  by  the 
sound  of  voices  just  behind  the  hedge,  which 
he  recognized  to  be  those  of  Miss  Rose  Snevel 
and  her  brother  Bobbie. 

"  Well,  Bobbie,  run  along,"  said  Miss  Snevel ; 
"  I  can  walk  about  alone.  You  want  to  see  the 
fountain,  and  I  'm  too  tired  ;  I  think  I  shall  find 
a  seat  somewhere." 

3  D 


50  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Don't  s'pose  I  would  leave  you  alone,  do 
you  ? "  said  Bob,  valiantly.  "  I  'd  like  to  thrash 
Ned  Black." 

"  Sh  !  sh  !  don't,"  exclaimed  his  sister. 

"  He  hasn't  paid  you  any  attention  this  even- 
ing, and  I'd  like  to  know  what  sort  of  a  fellar 
he  is,  any  way  !  "  continued  her  little  brother,  in 
a  thick  voice. 

"  Hush !  you  know  he  is  captain  of  the  nine, 
and  has  to  superintend  a  good  many  things,"  said 
his  sister. 

"  He  is  a  splendid  captain,  though,  aint  he, 
Rose?" 

"  Yes,"  answered  his  sister,  with  what  seemed 
a  groan  to  the  kind  heart  of  Dick  Softy,  who 
immediately  emerged  from  his  concealment  and 
accosted  the  two. 

"  Miss  Snevel,"  said  he,  "  I  'm  delighted  to  find 
you  ;  I  know  where  there  is  a  charming  seat,  up 
in  the  crotch  of  an  old  elm.  Have  you  seen  it  ? 
No  !  Why,  let 's  go,  by  all  means.  I  hope  no 
one  is  there.  Bobbie,  you  run  off  and  enjoy 
yourself.  I  '11  take  care  of  your  sister." 

"  That 's  first-rate,"  said  Bob.  "  Rose,  you 
won't  mind  ? " 

"  No,"  said  his  sister,  with  a  faint  smile.  "  If 
Mr.  Softy  wants  to  go,  after  showing  me  the  seat 
in  the  elm,  I  will  wait  for  you  in  the  library." 

Her  brother  hastened  away,  shouting  some- 


MOONLIGHT.  5 1 


thing  resembling  the  Swiss  Yodel,  which  was 
taken  up  by  his  youthful  companions  in  the  dis- 
tance. And  Rose,  taking  Dick  Softy's  arm,  was 
conducted  through  the  old  garden  to  the  elms. 
Mr.  Milton  had  discovered  the  capabilities  of  the 
ancient  trunk  of  a  lordly  elm,  and  had  built  a 
little  arbor  in  its  spreading  branches,  high 
above  the  ground.  A  rustic  spiral  stairway  led  up 
to  it,  which  went  by  the  name  of  the  Mauvais  Pas. 
It  was  no  more  dangerous  than  its  namesake. 
But  Mr.  Milton  had  threatened,  for  several  years, 
to  take  it  down,  fearing  lest  some  accident  might 
happen.  Dick  Softy  assisted  his  pretty  charge 
up  the  stairway,  carefully  preceding  her ;  and 
the  two  went  in  and  out  of  the  patches  of  shade 
thrown  athwart  the  venerable  limbs  of  the  elm 
by  its  branches  in  the  moonlight.  Finally  they 
emerged  upon  a  broad  landing  of  rustic-work,  and 
seated  themselves  in  the  airy  arbor. 

"  Isn't  this  delightful !"  exclaimed  Rose.  "  Oh, 
I  'm  so  much  obliged  to  you  for  bringing  me ! 
See  how  fairy-like  the  people  look,  wandering 
over  the  lawn,  beneath  the  festoons  of  Chinese 
lanterns !  " 

"  Jolly  sort  of  place,  isn't  it  ?  "  said  Dick,  sink- 
ing with  a  sigh  into  a  kind  of  arm-chair  made 
by  the  branches  of  the  old  tree. 

"  I  wonder  who  those  lovers  are,"  said  Rose, 
pointing  at  an  apparently  affectionate  couple  who 


52  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 


promenaded  beneath  the  branches  of  the  elm,  in 
the  obscurity  of  its  shade. 

"  I  wonder,"  said  Dick,  craning  his  neck  over 
the  tree-trunk. 

Presently  the  couple  stopped  at  the  foot  of  the 
tree,  and  were  about  to  mount  the  stairway. 
Dick  Softy  coughed  loudly,  and,  looking  down 
with  Rose  Snevel,  saw  the  beautiful  face  of  Miss 
Milton  upturned,  and  Ned  Black  beside  her. 

"  There  's  some  one  up  there ! "  said  Ned  Black, 
in  a  low  voice.  "  Come,  let 's  go  down  the  Lin- 
den Walk ; "  and  the  two  disappeared  in  the 
direction  of  the  avenue. 

Dick  Softy  hummed  a  tune,  and  hit  at  the 
leaves  of  the  elm,  which  were  within  reach,  with 
his  light,  flexible  cane  ;  and  his  companion,  turn- 
ing her  face  away,  gazed  pensively  at  the  full 
moon,  which  swung,  like  a  great,  silver  balloon, 
over  the  rounded  masses  of  trees  down  the 
avenue.  Presently  there  were  signs  of  the  party's 
breaking  up.  A  throng  of  people  wended  their 
way  homeward,  and  teams  began  to  drive  up 
for  their  owners.  Dick  Softy  assisted  his  charge 
down  the  steep  stairway,  and,  as  he  did  so,  no- 
ticed a  tear  in  her  bright  eye. 


THE  ROSE   OF  DORNFIELD.  53 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE    ROSE    OF    DORNFIELD. 

r  I  "HE  Rose  of  Dornfield,  as  Miss  Snevel  was 
-*•  called,  was   in   her  most  beautiful  state   of 
unfolding.     She  was,  indeed,  a  lovely  creature. 

Most  girls  of  her  age,  and  especially  of  her 
attractions,  would  have  been  much  in  society, 
both  at  home  and  abroad  ;  but  there  were  pe- 
culiar circumstances  in  the  home  of  the  Snevel's, 
whi-ch  none  but  its  inmates  could  understand. 
The  neighbors  strove  to  bring  the  Snevels  out ; 
and,  somewhat  piqued  at  their  failure,  began  to 
criticise.  "  Rose  was,  indeed,  a  beautiful  girl ; 
but  extremely  reserved  and  uppish,  —  full  of 
moods,  too.  They  say  that  Mr.  Snevel  drinks  a 
great  deal ;  indeed,  he  has  been  seen  intoxicated." 
The  young  country-fellows  found  her  very  sweet 
and  lovely,  whenever  they  were  fortunate  enough 
to  find  her  at  home,  which  seemed  to  be  very  sel- 
dom. Their  timid  knocks  in  the  evening  were 
generally  answered  by  Mr.  Snevel,  who  bent  his 
most  aristocratic  look  upon  them,  which  told  the 


54  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

bashful  callers  that  he  instantly  divined  the  rea- 
son of  their  bright  neckties  and  brightly  polished 
boots.  Mr.  Snevel,  on  such  occasions,  generally 
appeared  with  gold  eye-glasses  perched  on  the 
end  of  his  nose,  a  volume  of  Burke's  Speeches  in 
his  hand,  and,  having  been  repeating  a  passage 
of  that  eloquent  author,  his  voice  had  a  deep 
intonation,  that  thrust  the  timid  callers  back  into 
the  darkness,  like  the  report  of  a  suddenly  dis- 
charged cannon.  Rose  was  glad  to  be  let  alone. 
She  wandered  in  the  woods  with  her  brother, 
picking  wild-flowers ;  or  floated  down  the  little 
river,  looking  at  her  own  reflection  in  the  placid 
nooks,  unmindful  of  its  beauty,  dreaming  as 
young  girls  dream,  and  building  a  thousand  air- 
castles.  Bobbie  was  very  attentive,  and  took 
great  pride  in  showing  his  sister  his  skill  in 
managing  a  boat,  and  his  wood-craft.  The  two 
were  closely  drawn  together,  and  were  thor- 
oughly happy  in  the  green  woods  and  fields,  far 
away  from  the  house.  Their  father  generally 
spent  his  days  in  the  library,  when  he  was  at 
home,  which  was  not  very  often  ;  for,  of  late,  he 
had  taken  to  visiting  an  old  bachelor  friend,  who 
kept  an  amateur  farming  establishment  a  few 
miles  out  of  Dornfield.  If  Mr.  Snevel  had  had 
money,  he  would  also  have  indulged  his  tastes 
for  country  sports  and  for  gentleman  farming. 
He  did  the  next  best  thing,  and  hobnobbed  with 


THE  ROSE   OF  DORNFIELD.  55 

his  friend,  Mr.  Bandy.  Rose,  at  first,  was  glad 
of  her  father's  intimacy  with  his  friend  ;  for, 
although  Mr.  Snevel  prided  himself  upon  his 
high-bred,  courteous  ways  in  his  household,  still, 
whenever  the  dinner  did  not  suit  his  tastes,  there 
was  a  sense  of  discomfort  in  the  house.  Then, 
too,  Bobbie  and  his  father  seemed  to  continually 
irritate  each  other.  The  excess  of  spirits  of  the 
boy  seemed  to  the  father  to  be  vulgar.  He 
continually  preached  about  courtesy  and  high- 
bred manners,  until  the  boy,  with  his  quick 
observation  of  his  father's  failings,  almost  suffo- 
cated with  the  desire  to  retort.  "  He  made  you 
cry,  Rose,  at  the  dinner-table,"  said  he,  putting 
his  arm  about  his  sister  once,  after  a  scene  at 
a  poorly  cooked  dinner.  Rose  hushed  him,  and 
apologized  for  her  father's  irritability. 

She  always  let  her  father  in  when  he  returned 
late  ;  and,  as  she  buried  her  face  in  her  pillow, 
thanked  the  gentle  stars,  that  twinkled  in  upon 
her  through  the  fragrant  vines  above  her  window, 
that  she  had  saved  Bobbie  the  sight  of  the  reel- 
ing old  man.  But  the  boy  had  known  his  fath- 
er's ways  long  before  his  sister,  and  had  concealed 
his  knowledge,  hoping,  in  a  despairing  way,  that 
his  sister  might  never  know.  Mr.  Bandy  was 
also  a  very  aristocratic  member  of  the  Bandy 
family.  He  had  a  very  fine  establishment,  and 
was  much  interested  in  county  sports.  He  had 


56  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

restocked  a  large  brook  which  ran  through  his 
farm  with  land-locked  salmon,  and  was  a  thor- 

y 

ough  sportsman.  His  shooting-box,  as  he 
termed  his  farm-house,  was  really  a  bachelor's 
paradise.  Every  thing  had  been  gathered  there 
which  could  conduce  to  comfort.  He  had  a  very 
fine  housekeeper,  and  gave  splendid  dinners. 
Mr.  Bandy  was  a  portly,  well-preserved  man  of 
sixty,  with  manners  of  the  old  school.  Mr. 
Snevel  found  Mr.  Bandy  a  man  after  his  own 
heart.  One  was  descended  from  Sir  Henry 
Bandy,  and  the  other  from  Sir  Richard  Snevel : 
and  the  two  old  gentlemen  spent  the  few  hours 
they  were  not  hunting  or  feasting  in  tracing  out 
their  genealogical  trees  ;  until,  from  frequent 
potations,  the  two  fell  off  the  topmost  branches, 
and  grovelled  in  the  dust,  from  which  baser-born 
mortals  never  aspired  to  spring. 

The  knowledge,  kept  apart  from  each  other,  of 
their  father's  failing,  drew  the  children  closer  to- 
gether. Their  misfortune,  indeed,  had  this  sweet 
compensation :  it  shut  out  the  world,  and  made 
the  hours  they  spent  together  away  from  the 
house  seem  too  precious  for  words.  Mr.  Snevel 
was  very  ambitious  for  Rose.  He  directed  her 
education  with  a  firm  hand.  He  laid  out  a 
course  of  historical  reading,  prescribed  so  much 
music  and  so  much  drawing,  in  a  tabular  view 
that  would  have  done  credit  to  the  secretary  of 


THE  ROSE   OF  DORNFIELD.  57 

a  college.  If  Rose  had  followed  it,  she  would 
have  worked  from  morning  to  night.  It  was  one 
of  Mr.  Snevel's  great  troubles,  that  Rose  and 
Bobbie  did  not  seem  to  be  intellectual.  He  was 
angered  that  the  Snevel  family  should  not  man- 
ifest its  well-known  brain-power.  He  feared 
that  Bobbie,  especially,  would  be  a  disgrace  to 
the  name. 

So  the  children  grew  to  have  singular  ways ; 
that  is,  ways  which  differed  from  the  people 
about  them.  Their  father  was  especially  angry 
at  this,  and  wondered  why  his  children  acted 
so  much  like  a  brood  of  partridges.  He  had 
frequent  conversations  with  his  crony,  Mr.  Bandy, 
upon  this  point,  and  neither  could  discover  the 
reason. 

"  Take  'em  to  the  city  ;  let  your  sisters  bring 
out  your  daughter,"  said  Mr.  Bandy. 

"  My  sisters  have  both  married  common,  low- 
born churls,"  said  Mr.  Snevel,  pulling  up  his 
cravat  ;  "  and  I  have  ceased  to  have  any  inter- 
course with  them."  He  meant,  that  his  sisters 
had  restricted  their  intercourse. 

"  Well,"  replied  Mr.  Bandy,  watching  his  cigar- 
smoke  curl  upwards,  "  you  've  high-bred  notions 
yourself,  Snevel :  just  carry  'em  out." 

"  I  'm  determined  to,"  replied  Mr.  Snevel, 
helping  himself  liberally  to  the  punch. 

Ned  Black  had  broken  in  upon  the  seclusion 
3* 


THE  GREAT  MATCH. 


of  the  Snevels  ;  he  had  noticed  the  beautiful 
young  girl  who  hid  herself  in  the  old-fashioned 
pew  in  church,  who  modestly  shunned  observa- 
tion, and  was  reserved  to  the  last  degree.  He 
had  taken  many  walks  in  the  lane  beside  her 
home,  in  the  hope  of  meeting  her.  He  paid 
especial  attention  to  Bobbie,  whose  enthusiasm 
for  base  ball  had  early  attracted  his  attention. 
Rose  noticed  the  handsome  young  fellow,  and 
heard  her  brother's  enthusiastic  descriptions  of 
his  powers  as  a  base-ball  player.  Once  Bobbie 
had  escorted  her  to  the  playing-ground  ;  and  she 
had  overheard  the  remarks  of  admiration  be- 
stowed upon  the  athlete  by  young  ladies  and 
young  gentlemen.  How  they  became  acquainted 
she  could  hardly  remember,  for  the  acquaintance 
of  secret  glances  had  long  preceded  the  actual 
introduction. 

Rose's  enjoyment  of  Ned  Black's  acquaint- 
ance was  not  without  its  alloys.  Their  meetings 
away  from  home  were  very  sweet,  and  a  new 
world  of  hopes  and  beautiful  thoughts  opened  to 
the  young  girl  ;  but  whenever  he  came  to  the 
house,  Mr.  Snevel  contrived,  by  his  extremely 
courteous  ways,  to  make  the  young  man  uncom- 
fortable. Nevertheless,  the  acquaintance  pro- 
gressed rapidly.  There  were  moonlight  walks 
beside  the  river,  under  the  elms  ;  there  were 
strolls  in  the  woods  ;  there  were  walks  home 


THE  ROSE   OF  DORNFIELD.  59 

from  Sunday  school.  Ned  Black  always  walked 
to  his  business-place  by  the  roundabout  way 
which  led  by  the  Snevel's  ;  and  looked  up  at  a 
particular  blind,  conscious  that  two  beautiful 
eyes  shone  lovingly  upon  him.  The  story  of 
the  growth  of  their  love  would  make  a  theme  for 
a  poet.  The  beauties  of  the  springtime  in  Dorn- 
field  would  come  in  beautifully  to  make  pictures 
for  the  artist  who  should  illustrate  such  a  poem. 
There  were  moments  when  she  stood  leaning 
over  the  garden-gate,  beneath  the  roses  ;  when 
she  trailed  up  the  creeper,  standing  with  lithe 
arms  outstretched  in  the  sweet  sunset ;  when 
she  ran  joyously  down  through  the  clover,  with 
her  gypsy-hat  half  flying  from  her  beautiful  hair  ; 
when  she  stood,  with  parted  lips,  at  her  window, 
gazing  at  the  new  moon,  while  the  one  robin 
sang  in  the  orchard  that  her  lover  was  fortu- 
nate enough  to  see  her,  himself  unseen.  The 
description  of  all  this  belongs  to  a  poet.  We, 
alas  !  have  got  to  deal  with  the  practical  inci- 
dents of  daily  living  ;  and  there  were  very  unpoet- 
ical  elements  in  the  story  of  the  young  maiden's 
life.  It  was  not  long  before  they  were  secretly 
engaged.  Rose  yielded  to  Ned  Black's  persua- 
sions to  keep  the  engagement  a  secret  more  wil- 
lingly, from  her  knowledge  of  her  father's  ways 
and  habits.  With  the  beautiful  and  enthusiastic 
thoughts  that  filled  her,  at  the  knowledge  of  the 


60  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

new  interest  that  had  come  into  her  life,  there 
was  mingled  in  Rose's  heart  ominous  thoughts 
in  regard  to  her  father.  The  secret  that  she  felt 
she  had  kept  from  Bobbie  must  now  be  zeal- 
ously guarded  from  another. 

One  evening,  during  the  absence  of  her  father, 
Ned  Black  had  been  sitting  with  her.  It  was  a 
beautiful  May  night  ;  warmer  than  usual,  for  the 
time  of  the  year.  Bobbie  had  been  listening  to 
Black's  account  of  some  splendid  base-ball  times 
that  he  had  lately  enjoyed,  with  eager  ears.  He 
was  very  proud  of  their,  his,  and  his  sister's  inti- 
mate acquaintance  with  the  captain  of  the  nine. 
His  sister,  in  the  fascinating  moments  with  her 
lover,  did  not  notice  that  her  brother  was  unusu- 
ally restless.  Finally,  he  stole  away,  and  left 
them  to  themselves.  The  two  lovers  talked  in 
the  sweet  light  for  a  while,  and  then  sat  holding 
each  other's  hands  in  a  sweet  communion  of 
spirits.  They  were  presently  interrupted  by  a 
noise  at  the  gate.  Rose's  heart  throbbed,  for 
she  recognized  the  voice  of  her  father.  He  was 
returning  unusually  early.  She  went  to  the 
edge  of  the  veranda,  and  looked  down  the  gar- 
den. Mr.  Snevel  and  Mr.  Bandy  had  dis- 
mounted from  the  latter's  dog-cart,  and  were 
unsteadily  balancing  each  other  on  the  garden- 
walk,  and  exchanging  high-bred  acts  of  cour- 
tesy. There  was  a  question  of  precedence  at  the 


THE  ROSE   OF  DORNFIELD.  6 1 

gate.  Both  were  evidently  much  the  worse  for 
liquor  ;  but  the  knowledge  of  the  courtesy  which 
a  descendant  of  Sir,  Henry  Bandy  ought  to  pay 
to  a  descendant  of  Sir  Richard  Snevel  at  the  gar- 
den-gate was  not  lost  sight  of.  Rose  held  her 
hands  upon  her  throbbing  bosom.  She  was  con- 
scious that  Ned  Black  stood  beside  her.  Why  did 
he  not  go  ?  She  saw  the  two  men  at  the  gate 
reel  about,  and  bow  deeply  to  each  other,  striving 
to  repress  the  hysteric  laugh  that  is  imminent 
on  the  alternations  of  comedy  and  tragedy.  Pres- 
ently she  saw  Bobbie  emerge  from  a  thicket, 
and  take  his  father's  arm.  After  a  few  minutes, 
that  seemed  houte,  Mr.  Bandy  went  back  to  his 
equipage  ;  and  Mr.  Snevel,  escorted  by  Bobbie, 
came  up  the  garden-walk,  and  was  led  into  the 
house.  Rose  sank  upon  a  settee  ;  arid  still  Ned 
Black  stood  silently  beside  her.  How  she  bade 
him  good-night  she  did  not  know.  Her  brother 
came  to  her,  and  found  her,  in  a  fit  of  hysterics, 
sitting  alone  upon  the  veranda. 

"O  Bobbie,  Ned  saw  him!  Ned  saw  him!" 
she  cried,  passionately  ;  "  and  you  too,  dear,  I  for- 
got you." 

Bobbie  knelt  beside  his  sister,  and  tried  to 
comfort  her.  There  the  two  remained,  clasped 
in  each  other's  embrace,  while  the  bright  moon, 
in  its  swift  flight,  covered  them  with  the  shifting 
shades  of  the  woodbine  which  twined  upon  the 


62  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

pillars  of  the  house.  Ned  Black  felt  that  he  had 
not  acted  a  manly  part  in  the  event  which  had 
happened  ;  but  what  could  he  do  ?  He  might 
have  said  something,  expressed  some  sympathy, 
or  given  Rose  sweet  words  of  encouragement. 
But  it  would  have  been  "  deused  awkward  ;  a  fel- 
low never  knows  what  is  best  to  do  under  such 
circumstances.  The  two  old  chaps  did  behave 
irresistibly  funny,  as  they  bowed  with  such  cour- 
tesy, and  bobbed  against  each  other."  The 
young  man  left  Rose,  thus  revolving  the  occur- 
rence in  his  mind.  As  he  passed  out  of  the 
garden-gate,  he  met  Mr.  Bandy,  who  was  endeav- 
oring to  get  into  his  dog-cart  from  behind.  Ned 
Black  led  him  to  the  proper  steps,  and  placed 
the  reins  in  his  hands.  Mr.  Bandy  took  off  his 
hat,  with  a  grand  wave  of  courtesy,  and,  pointing 
towards  the  house,  said,  — 

"  I  trust  my  fr-friend  arrived  safely  ?  " 

"  Yes  :  he  is  all  right." 

"All  right,  hey?  Mr.  Black,  to  speak  confi- 
dentially, Mr.  Sne-Snevel  is  getting  into  the 
habit  of  lingering  a  little  too  long  at  the  cu-cu- 
cup.  Sorry."  Thus  saying,  Mr.  Bandy,  with  a 
look  of  high-bred  courtesy,  gathered  up  the  reins 
and  drove  homewards. 

There  are  events  which  make  but  little  im- 
pression at  the  time ;  but,  afterwards,  they  can  be 
recalled  with  thrilling  distinctness,  to  give  rea- 


THE   ROSE   OF  DORNFIELD.  63 

sons  for  one's  actions.  The  young  man  would 
have  scouted  the  thought  that  evening  that  the 
knowledge  of  the  father's  failing  could  ever 
make  any  difference  in  his  love  for  Rose.  Mean- 
while the  affairs  of  the  Snevel  family  were  widely 
discussed  in  the  village.  Mr.  Snevel  had  always 
had  the  entree  into  the  best  society ;  for  his  fam- 
ily was  known  to  be  of  the  very  best.  His  grand 
manners  were  much  admired  by  elderly  ladies  ; 
and  he  was  held  up  to  the  careless,  nonchalant 
young  collegians  who  found  their  way  to  Dorn- 
field  as  a  true  specimen  of  a  gentleman  of  the 
old  school.  Why  Rose  kept  herself  so  much  apart 
from  society  was  a  mystery.  Mr.  Snevel  was 
interrogated.  But  he  was  as  much  in  the  dark  as 
anybody  ;  he  could  not  understand  it,  and  depre- 
cated his  daughter's  action  very  much.  Presently 
the  story  was  prevalent  that  Rose  was  going 
into  a  decline  ;  and  many  sympathetic  calls  were 
made.  But  the  healthy  cheeks  of  the  young 
lady,  and  her  excursions  with  her  brother, 
speedily  disproved  the  report.  Then,  "  they 
said"  that  she  was  getting  too  proud  to  asso- 
ciate with  country  people,  and  was  about  to  join 
her  aristocratic  relations  in  the  city.  This  story 
gained  general  credence  ;  for  Mr.  Snevel's  man- 
ners accorded  very  well  with  such  an  intention. 
Granting  it  to  be  true,  there  was  a  tacit  assump- 
tion of  superiority  in  such  exclusiveness,  that 


64  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

shocked  even  the  best  circles  in  Dornfield  ;  and 
people  began  to  criticise.  "  Rose  was  too  much 
with  Ned  Black  ;  she  should  be  matronized  more. 
Her  dress,  too,  was  very  pronounced,  and  her 
hats  too  dashing.  She  was,  it  is  true,  a  lovely 
girl,  but  too  fond  of  dress."  Mr.  Silver  couldn't 
see  that  there  was  any  thing  to  the  girl.  It  is 
true,  she  was  a  pretty  picture  to  look  at,  like  a 
design  upon  French  china,  —  but  a  very  insipid 
sort  of  thing. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Silver,  "  how 
can  you  say  so  ?  Rose  is  a  beauty,  so  dainty  and 
so  aristocratic-looking,  yet  perfectly  sweet  and 
lovely.  You  never  saw  so  pretty  a  girl  in 
Europe,  Mr.  Grandhurst." 

"  I  will  say,"  replied  that  young  gentleman, 
who  had  come  in  for  a  morning's  chat,  "  that 
American  girls  are  very  pretty.  A  fellow  can 
distinguish  them  anywhere  in  Europe.  But  they 
fade,  you  know." 

"  Perfect  wrecks  at  forty,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Sil- 
ver, waving  his  hand.  Mrs.  Silver  was  born  in 
England. 

The  lower  class  in  a  country  village  often 
know  secrets  which  are  veiled  from  that  higher 
class  which  they  most  concern.  Mr.  Snevel's 
failing  was  well  known  in  various  quarters,  and 
was  becoming  better  known  from  day  to  day. 
Rose  had  a  steadfast  friend  in  John  Graham,  the 


THE  ROSE   OF  DORNFIELD.  65 

president  of  the  Dorn field  bank.  Graham  was 
yet  a  comparatively  young  man,  who,  by  the 
exercise  of  good  abilities  and  sterling  qualities, 
had  risen  to  an  honorable  position  in  his  native 
town.  He  had  become  acquainted  with  Rose 
in  administering  a  small  legacy,  which  an  aunt 
of  Rose  had  left  to  the  young  girl.  The  grave 
and  reserved  man  of  business  beheld  in  the 
maiden  a  vision  of  delight,  which  disturbed  him 
ever  afterwards.  He  had  never  thought  that  he 
should  fall  in  love,  especially  with  a  daisy,  or  a 
rose-bud.  But  he  had  done  so  ;  and  reason  and 
arguments  could  not  bring  his  mind  into  its  old 
philosophic  channels.  The  presence  and  the 
confidence  of  the  young  girl  revealed  to  him  a 
side  of  himself  which  he  had  not  suspected. 
Money-getting  and  power  and  influence  faded 
into  the  background,  and  the  sweet  ways  of  a 
maiden  tortured  a  strong  man.  He  well  re- 
membered the  first  day  she  came  into  his  office, 
with  her  little  brother.  She  was  in  a  light 
blue  dress,  with  a  bunch  of  pink  roses  on  her 
bosom.  She  wore  a  gypsy-hat  far  down  upon 
her  profusion  of  light-brown  hair,  which  was 
puffed  carelessly  over  her  fair  brow,  and  fell  in 
large,  loose  braids  under  the  hat.  She  had  large, 
blue  eyes,  with  dark  eyelashes,  and  the  most  del- 
icate pink  hue  upon  her  cheeks.  One  of  her 
eyes  was  a  trifle  larger  than  the  other  ;  and  this 


66  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

defect  was  a  beauty,  for  it  gave  a  languishing 
look,  which  was  absolutely  fascinating.  Graham 
looked,  and  addressed  her  almost  in  a  savage 
tone  ;  for  he  felt  his  heart  leap  up  preparatory 
to  taking  an  unceremonious  departure.  When 
she  left  him,  with  a  sweet  smile,  which  parted  a 
rosy  mouth  showing  a  row  of  pearly  teeth,  the 
man  dropped  his  pen,  and  leaned  his  head  upon 
his  hand.  The  summer  wind  came  in  through  an 
open  window,  fresh  from  a  clover-field,  and  he 
could  hear  the  joyous  song  of  the  golden  robins, 
and,  farther  off,  the  chorus  of  bobolinks.  The  bees 
murmured  in  the  tall  hollyhocks  outside  the  win- 
dow of  his  office,  and  made  the  half-opened  rose- 
buds nod  upon  the  trellis.  Then  it  was  done,  — 
Graham  fell  in  love.  But  could  this  happiness 
be  for  him.  It  was  nonsense  to  think  about  it. 
He  was  fifteen  years  older  than  she  was,  and 
older  in  thoughts  and  ways  than  in  years.  He 
finally  compelled  himself  to  think  it  all  out, 
calmly  and  dispassionately ;  and  he  observed 
the  situation  carefully.  Mr.  Snevel  was  a  man 
who  provoked  him  beyond  endurance.  The 
words  of  honor  and  of  courtesy  were  continually 
upon  his  lips  ;  yet  he  did  not  scruple  to  appro- 
priate the  interest  of  Rose's  legacy  to  further  his 
own  comforts  and  pleasures.  This,  Graham  was 
fully  cognizant  of.  His  secret  habit  was  also 
early  known  to  the  business  man  ;  and  he  scru- 


THE  ROSE   OF  DORNF1ELD.  67 

tinized  Mr.  Snevel's  notes  with  the  utmost  care. 
Graham  had  sprung  from  the  ranks,  and  felt  a 
certain  satisfaction  in  the  knowledge  that  he  had 
been  indebted  to  no  extraneous  influence  for 
his  rise  in  the  world.  He  sarcastically  observed 
Mr.  Snevel's  aristocratic  ways  and  bearing. 
Long  before  others,  he  had  noted  Ned  Black's 
attentions  to  Rose,  and  perceived  with  a  pang 
her  liking  for  the  handsome  young  man.  Once 
he  had  met  them  strolling  through  the  woods ; 
and  he  had  said  to  himself,  with  a  deep  sigh, 
"  A  handsome  young  fellow,  and  a  beautiful 
young  girl.  Alas  !  I  have  passed  insensibly  be- 
yond into  the  middle  age.  If  by  any  means  I 
should  win  this  young  girl,  I  should  be  cheating 
her  out  of  her  romance  of  life,  which  she  is  now 
living  out  with  that  young  man.  I  should  never 
forgive  myself.  It  is  better  that  I  should  dis- 
miss the  thought  of  having  any  romance  in  my 
life.  There  was  a  time  when  it  could  have  come 
in  appropriately.  But  that  time  is  past :  it  is  ab- 
surd not  to  recognize  this.  Let  me  try  to  help  this 
sweet  young  creature  to  realize  what  I  cannot." 
He  was  a  man  of  invincible  will,  and  he  forced 
himself  with  an  iron  hand  to  go  in  the  paths  his 
judgment  approved.  He  sought  out  Ned  Black, 
made  many  inquiries,  observed  much ;  and,  at 
length  convinced  beyond  doubt  of  Rose's  love 
for  the  young  man,  helped  him  to  obtain  a  lucra- 


68  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

•tive  situation  in  the  bank  of  which  he  had  the 
direction.  Black  never  liked  Graham.  There 
was  a  critical  side  which  the  latter  always  showed 
towards  him,  which  was  especially  repugnant. 
He  could  not  understand  how  Rose  could  speak 
in  such  terms  of  admiration  of  his  superior.  He 
saw  no  good  fellowship  in  him  :  he  was  not  like 
the  genial  agent  of  the  Duck  Mills  in  Milltown, 
or  the  dashing  young  head  of  the  Print-works,  — 
men  who  could  buy  and  keep  Graham.  Human 
nature  is  weak.  Graham  strove  hard  to  be  gen- 
erous and  charitable  ;  but  he  saw  much  in  his 
clerk  which  displeased  him  ;  nevertheless,  he  no- 
ticed a  new  look  of  happiness  in  Rose's  face,  and 
persuaded  himself  that  there  was  a  glow  of 
goodness  in  his  own  breast.  Many  evenings  he 
guided  Mr.  Snevel  towards  his  doorstep,  and 
disappeared  in  the  gloom  before  Rose  should 
unfasten  the  door ;  but  not  unobserved,  for  the 
quick  eyes  of  the  young  girl  always  recognized 
him.  Graham  felt  that  she  grew  more  unrer 
served  in  her  intercourse  with  him.  He  longed 
to  be  her  friend,  if  not  her  lover,  and  saw  no 
reason  why  he  shouldn't. 


TROUBLES.  69 


CHAPTER   IV. 

TROUBLES. 

TT  7 HEN  the  flte  at  the  Miltons'  was  over, 

*  *  Ned  Black  sought  Rose  Snevel,  and  es- 
corted her  home.  They  both  walked  along  the 
country  road  in  dead  silence.  Rose's  heart  was 
too  full  to  speak,  and  her  companion's  eyes 
were  bent  in  a  sullen  manner  upon  the  moonlit 
road.  He  bade  her  good-night  at  her  door,  with 
a  mechanical  kiss,  and  turned  to  go. 

"  O  Ned  ! "  cried  the  young  girl,  "  you  are 
not  going  ? " 

"  I  must,"  he  replied,  putting  his  arm  about 
her  waist.  "  I  'm  tired  :  the  game  this  afternoon 
quite  used  me  up ;  it  was  so  very  hot,  you 
know." 

"  Oh,  to  be  sure,  —  I  should  think  you  would 
be  perfectly  exhausted,  my  dear  Ned  ;  you  must 
forgive  me  for  wishing  you  to  stay.  Now,  go 
right  to  bed,  there 's  a  dear  fellow." 

Ned  kissed  her  sweet  face  and  departed,  while 
she  stood  —  as  many  a  woman  has  done  since 


70  THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH. 


the  beginning  of  the  world  —  watching  his  re- 
treating form,  with  unsatisfied  longing  in  her 
heart. 

Her  brother  Bob,  who  had  wandered  home 
alone,  found  her  still  standing,  gazing  after  her 
lover. 

"  I  'm  real  mad,  Rose,"  said  Bob,  in  a  husky 
tone,  "  with  Ned  Black." 

"  Why,  dearie  ? "  asked  his  sister,  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"  Why,  seems  to  me,  when  a  feller  takes  a 
girl  to  a  party,  he  ought  not  to  leave  her  to  wan- 
der round  alone,  as  he  did  you." 

"  Why,  Bob  ! "  exclaimed  his  sister,  fighting  her 
own  convictions,  "  he  is  captain  of  the  nine,  and 
much  attention  was  given  him,  and  required  of 
him." 

"  Wall,  I  know  he 's  captain  of  the  nine,  and 
had  to  shake  hands  with  everybody.  I  s'pose 
I  'm  hard  on  him,  but  I  'm  jealous  for  you, 
Rose,"  —  and  thus  saying,  the  little  fellow  put 
his  arm  about  his  sister's  waist. 

Rose  patted  his  curly  head,  and  pretended  to 
fix  a  stray  branch  of  the  woodbine  that  climbed 
the  trellis  near  the  door. 

"  Ned  Black  is  an  awful  good  player,  aint  he  ?  " 
said  Bobbie,  with  an  intense  air  of  enthusiasm. 
"  Do  you  s'pose,  Rose,  I  could  ever  play  as  he 
does  ?  I  'm  proud  to  see  you  with  him,  for  all 


TROUBLES.  71 


the  fellers  look  at  him  and  you,  and  say,  '  That 's 
Black,  the  captain  of  the  Dornfield  nine.'  I  'm 
proud  that  we  know  him  so  well,  aint  you, 
Rose  ? " 

"  Yes,  Bobbie,  I  am.  We  like  him,  don't  we  ?  " 
"  Ye-es,"  said  her  brother,  in  a  tone  which 
showed  that  resentment  still  mingled  with  ad- 
miration, as  he  followed  his  sister  into  the  house. 
Ned  Black  was  captain  of  the  Dornfield  nine  ; 
but  Pat  O'Callahan  was  its  despot.  Pat  was  a 
young  Irishman,  who  had  wonderful  knack  in 
pitching  a  ball.  Some  said,  that,  after  traversing 
the  distance  between  the  pitcher  and  the  batter, 
it  began  to  describe  a  spiral  around  the  would-be 
hitter's  bat ;  and,  even  if  it  were  hit,  it  became  a 
foul  ball,  which  Ned  Black,  who  made  a  specialty 
of  foul  balls,  was  sure  to  secure.  Pat,  too,  in 
other  parts  of  the  game  was  thoroughly  at  home. 
We  have  said  that  he  was  the  despot  of  the 
nine.  He  understood  his  own  value  thoroughly  ; 
and  the  members  of  the  nine,  together  with  their 
patron,  Mr.  Tom  Milton,  had  to  pay  a  high  price 
for  his  services.  Pat  was  the  most  impecunious 
fellow  in  Dornfield.  No  one  ever  had  so  many 
poor  brothers  and  cousins  who  were  down  sick 
all  at  the  same  time,  and  who  required  just  ten 
dollars  to  make  them  comfortable.  If  the  ten 
dollars  were  not  forthcoming,  Pat's  heart  was  so 
tender  that  he  could  not  practise  with  the  nine. 


72  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

He  also  was  a  man  of  great  pride,  and  extremely 
sensitive.  The  O'Callahans  were  of  noble  blood, 
and  could  trace  their  lineage  back  to  the  time 
of  St.  Patrick.  The  slightest  want  of  consid- 
eration on  the  part  of  any  member  of  th£  nine 
often  led  to  his  dropping  his  bat,  and  striding  off 
the  ball-field,  to  which  he  would  not  return  until 
the  members  almost  went  down  on  their  knees 
to  him.  The  nine  paid  for  his  lodgings  and  for 
his  clothes.  The  tailor's  bill  was  no  small 
matter,  for  Pat  loved  to  array  himself  in  the 
finest  broadcloth.  Indeed,  there  was  some  excuse 
for  Pat  just  at  this  juncture,  for  he  was  paying 
attentions  to  the  housemaid  of  Squire  Thomas, 
at  Milltown. 

"  Well ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Tom  Milton,  with  a 
deep  sigh,  one  day  after  Ned.  Black  had  detailed 
another  exaction  of  Pat,  "we  must  stand  this 
until  the  end  of  the  next  game,  and  then,  by 
Jove,  won't  we  give  him  his  walking-card  ?  " 

"  We  can't  get  along  without  him  now,  that 's 
certain,"  said  Black,  taking  his  foot  off  the 
hub  of  Mr.  Milton's  carriage,  as  the  latter  pre- 
pared to  drive  away  from  the  door  of  the  bank, 
where  he  had  been  to  consult  Mr.  Graham. 

No :  the  Dornfield  nine  certainly  could  not 
get  along  without  Pat  O'Callahan.  Pat  had  one 
great  virtue,  —  he  was  loyal.  The  Milltown  nine 
were  anxious  to  get  him  away  from  the  Dornfield 


TROUBLES.  73 


nine,  and  offered  him  a  great  bribe  ;  but  the 
sturdy  Irishman  swore  that  he  would  be  true 
to  his  friends.  Constancy  is  a  great  virtue ;  but 
the  objects  of  it  sometimes  have  to  pay  dearly. 
Four  times  had  Pat  been  in  the  Milltown  lock- 
up for  drunkenness  ;  once,  just  on  the  eve  of 
a  match-game.  Each  time  Mr.  Tom  Milton  had 
driven  over  to  Milltown  in  the  utmost  haste,  to 
interview  the  justice  of  the  peace,  and  procure 
Pat's  release  on  the  payment  of  a  fine.  The 
country  justice  —  Mr.  Tooms  —  was  a  friend  of 
Mr.  Milton's,  but,  withal,  a  very  conscientious 
man  ;  and  Mr.  Tom  Milton  generally  had  a 
siege  of  it  between  Pat  and  the  justice.  Mr. 
Tooms  always  expounded  the  law  at  great  length 
to  Mr.  Tom  Milton,  while  the  old  gentleman 
fumed  and  fretted. 

"  Bless  you,  my  dear  fellow,  I  know  that 's 
the  law ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Tom  Milton,  sitting  in 
the  justice's  private  room,  while  the  court  as- 
sembled without.  "  But  this  young  Irishman  is 
weak,  that 's  all  ;  and  you  are  not  going  to  send 
him  to  the  house  of  correction,  and  shut  him  up 
for  a  couple  of  months,  when,  with  his  stalwart 
frame  and  strong  muscles,  he  can  contribute  to 
the  wealth  of  the  country." 

"Ah  ha!"  said  the  old  justice,  taking  off  his 
glasses  and  tapping  Tom  Milton  on  the  arm  with 
a  knowing  look.  "  Does  playing  ball  contribute 
to  the  wealth  of  the  country,  hey  ? " 


74  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Oh,  Pat 's  at  work,  you  know,  —  at  work,  you 
know,  besides  ;  and,  perhaps,  if  we  both  had 
time,  I  might  argue  a  point  on  the  value  of  base- 
ball playing  ;  but  we  won't  now,  —  we  won't 
now." 

"  No :  we  haven't  time  for  that,"  laughed  the 
old  justice  of  the  peace,  leaving  Tom  Milton,  and 
going  into  the  court-room. 

"  Well,  Pat ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Milton,  after  he 
had  paid  the  latter's  fine  for  the  fourth  time, 
"  we  must  have  no  more  of  this.  They  '11  send 
you  to  the  house  of  correction  yet." 

"  It  will  niver  happen  again,"  snivelled  Pat,  as 
he  rode  home  beside  the  burly  form  of  Mr.  Mil- 
ton. "  I  went  into  Jim  Murphy's,  jist  to  see  the 
folks  ;  and  Jim  says  to  me,  '  Won't  you  have 
a  glass  of  ale,  Pat  ? '  and  says  I,  '  A  glass  of  ale 
won't  hurt  anybody  ; '  and  thin,  as  I  was  coming 
home,  I  met  two  fellows  of  the  Milltown  nine, 
and  they  asked  me  to  have  a  little  something, 
for  good  feeling,  you  know ;  and  how  could  I 
refuse  ? " 

"  Ha  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Milton,  "  I  'm  suspi- 
cious of  those  fellows  in  the  Milltown  nine.  Pat, 
you  look  out  for  them  in  future  :  they  'd  like  to 
get  you  out  of  the  way,  right  well.  It 's  a  plot, 
Pat,  believe  me,  —  it's  a  plot  to  prevent  your 
playing  in  this  next  match-game." 

"  Niver  fear,"  said  Pat. 


TROUBLES.  75 


On  Mr.  Milton's  arrival  home,  he  sent  for 
Black,  and  told  him  his  suspicions  in  regard  to 
the  intentions  of  the  Milltown  nine.  "  They  are 
an  unscrupulous  lot  over  at  Milltown,"  said  Mr. 
Milton  ;  "  and  there  are  some  high  bets  made  on 
the  next  game.  The  treasurer  of  the  Duck  Mills 
seemed  to  be  very  confident,  and  wanted  to  bet  me 
a  hundred  dollars.  Well,  I  'm  right  up  and  down, 
you  know  ;  and,  when  a  man  comes  at  me  in  that 
way,  why,  I  'm  right  there  too.  And  I  said, 
'  Make  it  two  hundred,  Mr.  Davis,  and  I  'm  with 
you.'  '  Well,'  said  he,  '  we  '11  say  two  hundred.' 
'  Done ! '  said  I.  Now  they  are  feeling  pretty  cocky 
over  there,  I  tell  you  ;  and  we  've  got  to  look  out. 
They  are  sharp,  and  not  over-scrupulous,  I  be- 
lieve. They  would  like  to  get  Pat  out  of  the 
nine  ;  and,  if  they  can  get  him  sent  to  jail  for 
intoxication,  why,  they  '11  win  their  bets.  Don't 
like  to  be  hard  on  any  one,  but  I  've  seen  some 
things  over  in  Milltown  which  make  me  sus- 
picious." 

"  I  '11  take  good  care  that  they  don't  succeed," 
said  Black,  with  a  manly  flush  of  indignation  on 
his  cheeks. 

"That's  right,"  replied  Mr.  Milton,  shaking 
the  young  man's  hand  with  real  regard.  "  Re- 
member, I  'm  in  for  two  hundred  dollars.  I  don't 
care  for  the  money,  but  my  pride  is  up.  They 
laugh  over  in  Milltown  about  Tom  Milton  and 


76  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

his  ball-team,  as  they  call  the  nine.  '  Tom  Mil- 
ton's last  hobby,'  they  say.  Now,  we  want  to 
whip  'em  into  silence,  I  say." 

"  We  '11  do  it,  too,"  said  Black,  as  he  bade  the 
old  gentleman  good-by. 

"  So  he  is  in  for  two  hundred  dollars  ! "  said  the 
young  man  to  himself,  as  he  walked  homeward. 
"  I  wish  I  could  say  the  same.  I  'm  deeply  in- 
volved, and  I  don't  see  my  way  out  either.  On 
the  first  game  we  played  I  bet  too  confidently, 
and  lost ;  on  the  next  one  I  did  not  retrieve  my 
losses,  like  the  fool  that  I  was." 

Meanwhile  the  excitement  in  both  villages  in 
regard  to  the  coming  match  increased  daily. 
There  was  a  slight  lull  in  business  in  Milltown, 
and  the  energies  of  the  bustling  business-men 
were  readily  turned  into  a  new  field  of  excite- 
ment. We  have  shown  that  there  were  strong 
party  feelings  between  the  two  towns.  The 
democracy  had. an  overruling  desire  to  whip  the 
aristocracy.  Capital  in  business,  envious  of 
the  safely  invested  money  of  Mr.  Tom  Milton, 
the  retired  merchant,  was  desirous  of  having  a 
tilt  to  show  its  superior  mobility.  And  the 
youngsters  of  the  two  villages  had  grown  up  with 
many  unsettled  feuds,  which  could  only  be  allayed 
by  a  complete  victory  at  the  bat.  For  a  time, 
greater  interests  were  forgotten,  and  the  entire 
community  played  ball.  There  was  a  rush  for 


TROUBLES.  77 


the  daily  paper,  and  the  base-ball  news  was  read 
from  the  post  office-steps  by  the  young  men,  and 
eagerly  listened  to  by  the  old.  The  amount  of 
money  which  was  bet  upon  the  coming  match  in 
Milltown  assumed  prodigious  proportions,  in 
common  report ;  and  it  was  maintained  that  the 
agent  of  the  Duck  Mills  paid  all  the  bills  of  at 
least  three  players  on  the  Milltown  nine.  Base- 
ball playing,  for  the  nonce,  was  more  profitable 
than  working  in  the  mills  or  farming  the  rocky 
hill-sides.  The  village  streets  were  blockaded 
every  evening  by  men  and  boys,  who  threw  base 
balls  to  each  other,  or  "  batted  up,"  as  the  expres- 
sion was,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  old  farmers, 
who  drove  their  mares,  accompanied  by  foals,  into 
town  to  sell  eggs  ;  and  to  the  terror  of  matrons, 
who  looked  upon  a  base  ball  as  an  engine  of 
death.  Indeed,  the  mothers  deprecated  the 
present  state  of  things,  and  cut  out  of  the  daily 
papers  all  the  dreadful  base-ball  accidents,  for  the 
eyes  of  their  sons.  Milltown  was  determined  to 
have  its  measure  of  fun  out  of  the  mania ;  and,  in 
the  midst  of  the  stern  and  determined  prepara- 
tions for  the  coming  match,  like  laughs  and  jests 
one  hears  in  an  embattled  fort  awaiting  the  sig- 
nal for  a  sortie,  there  were  outbreaks  of  pecul- 
iarly American  humor  in  Milltown.  The  town 
genius  drew  a  sketch  of  the  complete  annihila- 
tion of  the  Dornfield  nine,  and  it  was  printed 


78  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

on  one  sheet  of  the  Milltown  "  News,"  and  had  a 
great  circulation.  Then  there  were  picked-up 
nines,  formed  among  the  thin  men  and  the  fat 
men.  The  doctor  put  up  an  advertisement,  that 
special  attention  was  paid  to  base-ball  accidents  ; 
and  the  town  photographer  exhibited  two  car- 
toons, which  were  termed  "  Before  and  After." 
Every  young  man,  as  he  went  along  the  street, 
took  a  ball  from  his  pocket,  and  amused  himself 
throwing  it  from  behind  his  back  over  his  head, 
and  catching  it  in  apparently  impossible  ways  ; 
and  nobby  fingers  became  a  glory  to  their  pos- 
sessors. The  young  ladies  fell  in  with  the  en- 
thusiasm. They  wore  the  colors,  worked  the 
colors,  sang  for  the  colors,  and  charades  were 
acted  for  the  benefit  of  the  nine.  They  listened 
with  the  most  charming  patience  to  long  ac- 
counts of  base-ball  matters,  and  prided  them- 
selves upon  their  knowledge  of  the  fine  points  of 
the  game.  Every  bit  of  information  was  treas- 
ured up.  The  wives,  sad  to  relate,  did  not 
partake  of  the  general  furor :  wives  are  gener- 
ally deadly  enemies  to  the  junketings  of  their 
husbands  ;  and  base  ball  did  lead  to  such  irregu- 
larities. It  seemed  as  if  there  was  no  end  to 
the  playing.  It  was  no  use,  in  their  minds,  to 
whip  a  nine,  for  a  dozen,  wishing  the  same  lot, 
seemed  to  spring  up  from  every  defeat ;  and  with 
a  rapid  exaltation  of  mind,  sometimes  noticed  in 


TROUBLES.  79 


the  logical  processes  of  a  wife's  thought,  they 
predicted  that  the  whole  world  would  take  to 
base-ball  playing,  to  the  exclusion  of  every  use- 
ful pursuit.  The  work  of  the  neighboring  farm- 
ers was  much  interfered  with  by  the  coming 
match. 

The  spirit  of  rivalry  which  had  always  ex- 
isted between  the  two  villages,  was  fanned  into 
flames  by  the  knowledge  that  Tom  Milton,  the 
magnate  of  Dornfield,  had  made  it  his  boast, 
that,  when  it  came  to  any  thing  but  cheating, 
Dornfield  was  far  ahead  of  its  bustling  contem- 
porary. The  ministers  in  both  towns  found  it 
necessary  to  preach  sermons  on  brotherly  love, 
and  the  sin  of  excitement  in  all  things  ;  but  each 
town  wanted  to  whip  just  once,  and  then  would, 
perhaps,  think  of  what  their  pastors  inculcated. 
The  excitement  in  Milltown  was  fanned  by  the 
presence  of  two  young  New  Yorkers,  who  were 
on  a  visit  to  their  relatives,  and  who  bet  heavily 
on  the  approaching  contest.  The  young  ladies 
in  both  villages  worked  badges  for  their  favor- 
ites, and  even  formed  base-ball  nines  among 
themselves.  They  made  bean-bags,  and  amused 
themselves  in  the  cool,  rainy  days,  pitching  them 
about,  to  practise  themselves  in  catching  balls. 
Base-ball  bats,  crossed  with  a  gilt  ball  at  the 
juncture,  were  favorite  breastpins.  The  photo- 
graphs of  the  players  on  both  nines  were  placed 


80  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

in  a  conspicuous  position  in  a  photographer's 
saloon,  on  the  main  street  in  Milltovvn,  and  were 
visited  by  crowds.  Young  farmers,  after  a  day's 
hard  work,  harnessed  up  old  Jerry  or  the  bay 
mare,  and  drove  into  Milltown  in  the  dusk,  to 
gather  up  the  news  in  regard  to  the  approaching 
contest. 


THE  KNAVE   OF  CLUBS.  8 1 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    KNAVE    OF    CLUBS. 

"JV/TISS  MJLTON,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  day 
-L*-*-  following  the  fete,  was  busily  occupied 
in  gardening,  when  Bobbie  Snevel,  with  cheeks 
aglow  with  exercise,  joined  her. 

"Well,  Bobbie,"  said  she,  with  a  smile,  "where 
have  you  been  to-day  ?  " 

"  It 's  a  secret :  but  I  guess  I  '11  tell  you,"  said 
the  boy,  sitting  down  beside  her. 

"  Oh,  if  it 's  a  secret,  you  mustn't !  "  exclaimed 
Miss  Milton. 

"  Oh,  I  'm  going  to,  though.  I  've  been  over 
to  Milltown  watching  the  practice  of  their  nine. 
Ned  Black  sent  me  over,  for  he  said  they 
wouldn't  suspect  a  small  boy,  and  he  says  I  'm  a 
first-rate  judge  of  good  play." 

"  Oh,  my !  what  a  compliment,"  said  Miss 
Milton.  "  So  you  've  been  watching  the  practice 
of  the  Milltown  nine." 

"  Yes  :  and  I  'm  going  over  every  day.     We 
are  determined  to  beat  next  time.     Mr.  Milton 
and  Ned  Black  back  me  up." 
4*  F 


82  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Back  you  up ! "  exclaimed  the  young  lady  in 
astonishment. 

"  Yes  :  they  want  me  to  find  out  all  about  the 
players  over  there." 

"  My  uncle  and  Ned  Black  are  sly  dogs.  Well, 
Bobbie,  why  don't  you  take  me  along  with  you, 
some  time  ?  we  could  ride  over  in  the  pony- 
wagon." 

"  That  would  be  jolly  ;  first-rate.  But  they 
would  suspect — us." 

"  They  don't  know  that  I  know  any  thing 
about  the  game,"  said  Miss  Milton. 

"  But  you  do,  though,"  said  her  companion. 
"It  would  be  risky." 

"  Well,  perhaps  it  would,"  said  the  young  lady, 
meditatively,  leaning  upon  her  rake,  and  looking 
down  at  her  flower-bed. 

"  I  should  admire  to  have  you  go  !  "  exclaimed 
Bobbie.  "  You  are  so  handsome  ;  and  wouldn't 
we  cut  a  dash  ! " 

"  So  you  like  to  be  with  me  because  I  attract 
attention,  do  you,  Bobbie  ? " 

"No:  it  aint  that,  nuther  ;  I  like  —  I  like  to 
have  you  with  me,  —  cause  I  love  you." 

Miss  Milton  suddenly  sat  down  on  the  grass, 
and  kissed  the  boy. 

Her  companion  blushed  violently,  and  picked 
the  grass  in  handfuls,  as  they  both  sat  together 
in  the  shade. 


THE  KNAVE   OF  CLUBS.  83 

"  I  wanted  to  ask  you  if  you  'd  wait  for  me,  — 
wait  till  I  'd  grovved  up,  and  then  I  'd  marry 
you." 

"  Oh,  I  shall  faint !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Milton, 
with  a  merry  laugh.  "  Marry  me  !  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Bob,  stoutly,  "  when  I  get  to  be  a 
man." 

"  Bobbie,  you  are  funny  !  "  exclaimed  the  young 
lady,  taking  both  of  his  hands  in  her  own. 
"  Why,  I  'm  twelve  years  older  than  you  ;  I  shall 
be  a  little  old  woman  when  you  are  a  young 
man." 

"  Don't  make  any  difference  to  me,"  said  Bob- 
bie, seizing  Miss  Milton's  hands. 

"  No  :  I  tell  you,  we  shall  be  very,  very  good 
friends  always,  Bobbie,  and  you  shall  come  this 
afternoon  and  show  me  where  the  maidenhair 
fern  grows." 

"We'll  see,  we'll  see,"  said  Bob,  with  almost 
a  tear. 

"  We  '11  see,"  replied  the  young  lady,  with  a 
joyous  laugh,  "  who  will  get  to  the  garden-gate 
first  ; "  and  set  off  with  a  merry  step,  followed  by 
her  sturdy  little  adherent. 

"  I  declare,  if  there  aint  that  Mr.  Grandhurst, 
who  sniffs  at  every  thing,  and  goes  round  pointing 
his  cane  at  the  homeliest  old  houses  in  town  ! " 
exclaimed  Bob.  "  It  will  be  too  bad  if  he 's  com- 
ing to  see  you." 


84  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Sh,  Bobbie !  he  is  a  very  fine  young  man, 
just  returned  from  Europe." 

"  Don't  know  a  thing  about  base  ball ;  calls  it 
rounders,  and  says  it  aint  half  as  scientific  as 
cricket.  Oh,  he  's  a  muff." 

"  Come,  Bob,  mustn't  talk  so.  Ah,  Mr.  Grand- 
hurst,  very  glad  to  see  you.  We  are  just  off  for 
some  ferns  ;  won't  you  accompany  us  ? " 

"  By ! "  exclaimed  Bob  Snevel,  in  a  loud 
whisper. 

"  Should  be  very  happy,"  said  Mr.  Grandhurst, 
glancing  askance  at  Bob  Snevel. 

"  That  will  be  jolly;  and  Bob  is  going  to  show 
us  where  to  find  them."  Bob  manfully  struggled 
with  a  desire  to  forsake  the  party,  but,  remem- 
bering that  Miss  Milton  did  not  know  where  to 
find  the  plants  they  were  in  search  of,  led  the 
way. 

"  That  group  of  elms  yonder  is  very  fine,  Mr. 
Grandhurst,"  said  Miss  Milton. 

"  Ye-es,"  replied  her  companion  ;  "  fine  mass 
of  green  ;  not  quite  in  keeping  with  its  surround- 
ing; that  old,  ragged  fence  ought  to  be  swept 
away,  and  the  stones  of  yonder  pasture  gath- 
ered up." 

"  Now,  I  like  this  primitive  landscape  ;  and  that 
ragged  fence  is  very  picturesque  in  my  eyes," 
replied  his  companion,  looking  through  her  half- 
closed  hand  at  the  elms. 


THE  KNAVE   OF  CLUBS.  85 

"  The  values  of  an  American  landscape  are 
hard  to  combine,  so  as  to  produce  an  artistic 
picture,"  said  Grandhurst,  gazing  with  head  half 
turned,  and  outlining  the  objects  in  the  air  with 
his  slender  cane. 

They  had  not  proceeded  far  on  their  way 
before  they  were  joined  by  Black.  Miss  Milton 
welcomed  him  with  great  pleasure,  for  he  was 
the  bean  ideal  of  the  young  ladies  in  Dornfield. 
She  was  especially  fascinated  by  his  address. 
His  figure  was  large,  and  perfectly  proportioned. 
One  never  caught  him  in  an  ungraceful  attitude. 
As  the  party  disappeared  down  the  wood-path, 
he  bent  his  fine,  manly  profile  down  to  listen 
with  an  air  of  tenderness  and  courtesy  to  her. 
The  only  amusement  he  seemed  to  have  was 
base  ball ;  and  he  was  an  adept  in  this  manly 
sport.  No  one  could  catch  as  he  could.  The 
balls  resigned  themselves  to  their  fate,  and 
"  curbed  their  bright  career  "  wherever  he  was. 
Even  the  bat  seemed  instinct  with  life  in  his 
hands.  He  hit  no  safe  flies  to  the  fielders.  The 
ball  rebounded  from  his  bat,  through  the  legs  of 
the  most  active  short-stop,  took  quick  and  un- 
expected turns,  like  a  gray  rabbit,  past  the  bases, 
and  ricochetted  over  the  heads  of  the  panting 
fielders.  His  name  was  on  the  lips  of  all  the 
town  boys,  and  was  mentioned  wherever  mus- 
cular prowess  was  held  in  estimation.  Every  one 


86  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

liked  him,  too.  The  possessor  of  great  physical 
powers,  if  he  chooses  to  be  "a  hail-fellow  well 
met,"  can  be  a  small  sovereign,  and  have  troops 
of  followers. 

Perhaps  the  only  enemy  that  Black  had  in 
Dornfield  was  Dick  Softy.  The  two  young  men 
had  played  together  at  school,  and  had  been 
always  thrown  together.  Fate  seemed  to  decree 
that  they  should  be  rivals  in  every  thing,  save 
muscular  prowess  ;  for  in  this  respect  Ned  Black 
had  a  towering  advantage.  They  had  striven 
for  the  love  of  the  same  pretty  little  Polly  Adams, 
when  boys  of  ten.  They  had  struggled  to  see 
who  would  find  the  most  birds'-nests,  the  first 
may-flower,  and  the  most  prolific  chestnut-trees. 
Later,  they  contested  for  the  same  prize  in  the 
High  School,  and,  after  graduation,  had  both 
desired  the  same  position  in  the  country  bank. 
In  every  thing  Dick  had  to  acknowledge  himself 
beaten  by  his  brilliant  schoolmate.  Every  one 
said  that  the  small  patrimony  which  Dick  Softy 
had  inherited  had  made  him  the  indolent,  care- 
for-nothing  exquisite  that  he  was ;  while  Ned 
Black's  poverty  had  stimulated  him  to  constant 
successes.  The  young  men  had  always  been 
friends  outwardly ;  but  the  dark  hemlock-grove 
on  the  edge  of  Dornfield  could  tell  a  story  of 
a  fight  which  took  place  within  its  shades. 
Black  had  grossly  insulted  Dick  at  a  picnic  ;  and 


THE   KNAVE   OF  CLUBS.  87 

the  latter,  meeting  his  foe  as  he  returned  from  a 
late  call  at  the  Miltons',  boldly  stepped  up  to 
him  and  slapped  his  face.  The  two  young  men 
immediately  threw  off  their  coats  and  began  to 
spar.  It  required  but  a  moment  for  Ned  to 
whip  his  adversary  ;  and  Dick  had  to  keep  his 
room  for  a  week,  with  a  black  eye  and  a  swollen 
nose.  From  that  day,  Dick  began  to  exercise 
his  flabby  muscles.  We  have  detailed  his  system 
of  gymnastics.  A  mighty  purpose  had  grown 
up  within  him  to  whip  Black.  He  was  also 
spurred  on  by  the  taunts  of  Miss  Milton.  In 
Dick's  love  for  that  dashing  young  lady  he 
seemed  to  have  escaped  the  rivalry  of  Ned  Blaek  ; 
but,  grown  slightly  morbid  from  long  encounters 
with  his  adversary,  he  expected  every  day  to 
see  Black  step  in  and  bear  off  that  young  lady 
triumphantly.  It  is  true  that  Black  seemed  to 
be  quite  attentive  to  pretty  Rose  Snevel ;  but 
Dick  thought  that  he  knew  Black's  heart  thor- 
oughly, and  expected  to  see  him  make  a  bold 
push  for  the  money  and  position  of  the  heiress. 
His  suspicions  seemed  to  amount  to  a  certainty 
on  the  night  of  the  fete.  The  philosophy  with 
which  Dick  had  hitherto  regarded  the  base-ball 
struggles  of  the  two  villages  gave  way,  and  he 
betook  himself,  also,  to  practising  with  the  bat. 
He  hired  Pat  O'Callahan  to  practise  with  him 
in  an  unoccupied  field,  remote  from  observation. 


88  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

Pat  was  sworn  to  secrecy.  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  the  loyal  young  Irishman  kept  the  secret 
religiously.  In  return  for  this  loyalty,  Dick's 
fate  and  the  base-ball  man's  were  inseparably 
joined.  Having  gained  another  staunch  friend, 
Pat  felt  at  liberty  to  contract  more  debts,  to 
dress  more  elegantly,  and  to  be  more  idle  than 
ever.  He  inculcated  upon  Dick  the  necessity 
of  the  regularity  of  his  practice  in  ball  playing, 
and,  apparently  in  order  to  keep  his  pupil's  mind 
upon  this  necessity,  made  the  young  man  always 
keep  an  eye  upon  him  when  he  went  over  to 
Milltown,  so  that  he  might  have  some  one  to 
bring  him  home  in  season  for  the  next  day's 
practice,  in  case  Tim  Murphy's  hospitality  should 
prove  too  overpowering.  Dick,  however,  thor- 
oughly recognized  the  excellence  of  his  teacher, 
and  daily  gained  a  little  in  the  knack  of  catching 
hot  balls  and  in  batting. 

"When  you  see  the  ball  coming,  put  the  palms 
of  yer  two  hands  togither,"  said  Pat,  "and  be 
ready  to  resave  it.  Draw  'em  away  jist  a  bit, 
when  the  ball  touches  'em.  That's  the  talk. 
Now  take  the  bat,  and  let  me  see  you  knock  up 
a  ball  or  two.  Stand  firm  on  your  pins,  throw 
the  ball  well  up  with  the  right  hand,  and  thin 
seizing  the  bat,  which  ye  have  held  manewhile 
in  your  left,  with  the  two  hands  hit  me  a  good 
one." 


THE   KNAVE   OF  CLUBS.  89 

Dick  did  as  he  was  told.  Five  times  did  the 
ball  drop  to  the  ground,  as  the  young  man  swung 
round  in  a  complete  circle,  with  his  coat-tails 
rapidly  following  his  outstretched  bat. 

"  Take  it  cool  and  aisy !  "  cried  Pat  from  the 
distance  where  he  had  stationed  himself  in  the 
expectance  of  a  fly. 

Dick  essayed  again.  This  time  the  ball  was 
struck,  and  went  up  in  a  straight  line,  about  ten 
feet  above  his  head.  The  next  four  attempts 
were  failures.  Then  came  comparative  success, 
in  the  shape  of  a  grounder,  which  Pat  scooped 
up  and  flung  back  to  the  batter. 

"  Ye  are  getting  on,"  cried  Pat,  encouragingly. 
"  Let  me  have  the  bat,  and  do  ye  take  to  catch- 
ing again." 

Dick  accordingly  relinquished  the  bat,  and 
took  his  place  in  the  field.  His  successful  cap- 
ture of  a  hot  ball  from  Pat's  bat  was  not  entirely 
pleasure  unalloyed  ;  for  his  little  finger  got  in  the 
way,  and  made  its  importance  felt  in  the  economy 
of  the  hand.  The  next  high  fly  that  came  did 
not  awaken  any  enthusiasm  in  Dick's  breast,  as 
he  saw  it  descend  from  the  blue  sky  a  mere 
speck  at  its  great  altitude. 

"  Now  !  "  cried   Pat. 

"All  right!"  came  faintly  from  Dick,  as  he 
saw  his  fate  come  rushing  down. 

The  ball  was  held  for  a  moment,  and  then 
dropped  from  Dick's  nerveless  grasp. 


90  THE   GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

"We'll  try  a  grounder,  next,"  said  Pat,  who 
was  having  the  best  of  the  fun  in  knocking  up 
the  balls  :  accordingly,  a  grounder  came.  Dick 
was  sure  of  the  ball,  and  placed  himself  in  a 
sitting  posture,  directly  in  line.  But  the  ball 
had  no  intention  of  being  an  easy  capture,  and 
suddenly  bounded  over  his  head  ;  and  the  young 
man,  in  his  eagerness  to  capture  it,  turned  a 
complete  summersault,  and  rolled  down  a  bank. 

"  Capital !  "  cried  two  voices  ;  and  Miss  Milton, 
with  a  merry  laugh,  issued  from  the  bushes  in 
company  with  Ned  Black. 

"  What !  have  you  taken  to  base  ball,  Dick  ? " 
exclaimed  Miss  Milton.  "Well,  well,  the  uni- 
verse is  about  to  resolve  itself  into  base-ball 
playing,  I  really  believe.  And  you  do  practise 
so  splendidly,  Dick  !  Ha,  ha  !  excuse  me,  but  I 
can't  help  laughing.  I  hope  you  didn't  hurt 
yourself ! " 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  answered  Dick,  glaring  at 
Black,  and  brushing  the  earth  off  his  trousers. 

"It  requires  a  good  deal  of  practice  to  catch  a 
grounder,"  said  Ned,  superciliously,  taking  up  the 
ball  and  throwing  it  back  to  Pat.  In  this  act  his 
fine  figure  showed  to  great  advantage  ;  and  it  did 
not  escape  the  observation  of  Miss  Milton. 

"  There 's  Pat !  "  exclaimed  that  young  lady. 
"  Oh  !  you  're  coaching  Dick,  I  suppose,"  said  she, 
as  the  Irishman  approached. 


THE  KNAVE   OF  CLUBS.  91 

"  I  was  on  me  way  home  from  a  bit  of  practice, 
and  Mr.  Softy  wanted  a  fly  or  two,"  replied  Pat. 

"  Oh  !  that 's  it,  is  it  ? "  said  Miss  Milton,  casting 
a  comical  look  at  Dick  Softy.  "  By  the  way, 
Dick,  I  especially  admire  the  way  in  which  you 
hit  up  balls :  seems  to  me  I  never  saw  it  better 
done,  you  hit  every  ball  so  nicely.  Ha,  ha, 
ha!" 

Ned  Black,  also,  could  not  contain  himself,  and 
smiled  grimly. 

"  Well,"  drawled  Dick,  resuming  his  old  man- 
ner, "  I  get  plenty  of  exercise  out  of  it,  and  I  see 
that  I  also  was  fortunate  enough  in  amusing  a 
couple  of  friends  who  were  concealed  in  the 
bushes." 

"  Oh,  you  mistake  !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Milton, 
with  hauteur.  "We  had  just  emerged  from  the 
path  to  Love  Pond,  when  we  caught  sight  of 
you.  Come,  go  right  on  with  your  practice  :  we 
will  promise  not  to  look."  And,  thus  saying,  she 
walked  away,  accompanied  by  her  escort. 

Pat  resumed  the  bat,  and  hit  some  splendid 
flies  to  Dick ;  but  that  young  man  was  more  un- 
successful than  ever,  and  told  Pat  at  length  that 
he  had  had  enough  for  that  day. 

"  So,  it  is  as  I  expected,"  said  Dick  to  himself, 
in  the  depth  of  chagrin.  "  That  man  has  again 
crossed  my  path.  I  'm  a  fool  to  endeavor  to 
contest  him  in  his  strong  points.  With  what  an 


92  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

air  of  superiority  he  threw  that  ball  back  to  Pat ! 
Such  an  easy  grace!  Well,  well,  and  she,  too, 
made  fun  of  me.  I  believe  all  women  are  flirts. 
I  '11  retake  myself  to  my  cigar,  my  easy  hammock, 
and  the  latest  novel ;  that  is,  after  I  've  whipped 
that  puppy,  Ned  Black,  just  once.  There  don't 
seem  to  be  much  likelihood  of  that  at  present," 
said  Dick,  as  he  walked  homeward,  after  parting 
with  Pat. 

A  youn-g  man  who  is  disposed  to  be  fast  can 
find  a  good  many  opportunities,  even  in  country 
towns.  Black  found  in  Milltown  many  attrac- 
tions which  did  not  exist  in  the  more  sedate 
village  of  Dornfield.  There  was  an  excellent 
livery-stable  in  Milltown,  and  the  keeper  of  it  had 
a  fast-trotting  mare  ;'  which  was  supposed  to  be 
his  own,  but  which  he'  kept  under  his  own  name 
for  Ned  Black.  The  latter  was  her  real  owner. 
There  was  a  good  inn  there,  provided  with  an 
upper  room,  where  young  men  could  congregate 
and  indulge  in  a  game  of  cards  for  small  stakes. 
There  was  also  a  resort,  about  four  miles  out  of 
the  manufacturing  village,  entitled  Lakeside, 
where  great  suppers  could  be  obtained.  Many 
were  the  visits  that  Black  made  to  this  place,  in 
company  with  convivial  spirits.  All  these  enjoy- 
ments required  a  great  expenditure  of  money. 
Joined  to  these  pleasures,  there  were  also  great 
opportunities  for  making  money  in  various  man- 


THE  KNAVE   OF  CLUBS.  93 

ufacturing  enterprises  ;  for  the  business  created 
and  fostered  by  the  great  war  had  not  yet  re- 
ceived that  severe  check  which  had  been  pre- 
dicted by  many  wise  heads.  Black,  in  company 
with  some  ardent  and  enterprising  young  New- 
Yorkers,  had  entered  privately  into  a  stock  en- 
terprise, which  promised  to  speedily  make  him  a 
rich  man.  To  obtain  the  requisite  funds,  he  did 
not  scruple  to  alter  the  books  of  the  bank  ;  for 
there  was  in  his  mind  an  absolute  certainty  of 
being  able  to  replace  the  money  before  the  deficit 
could  be  discovered.  Every  thing  went  well  for 
a  while  ;  but  at  length  manufacturing  began  to 
decline,  and  Ned  found  himself  getting  deeper 
and  deeper. 

After  leaving  Rose,  he  walked  across  the  fields 
to  Milltown.  There  was  a  full  moon,  and  the  foli- 
age was  in  all  the  luxuriance  of  early  June.  The 
scene  should  have  filled  the  heart  of  a  young 
lover  with  rapturous  thoughts  ;  the  stars  were 
ready  to  twinkle  happily,  and  to  foretell  happy 
nights,  when  two  hearts  should  beat  as  one, 
as  their  possessors  wandered  where  their 
fancy  listed.  But  the  peace  and  beauty  of  the 
scene  were  entirely  lost  upon  the  mind  of  the 
preoccupied  man  who  stood  just  on  the  mental 
border  between  youth  and  middle  age.  "  Stay, 
young  man,"  said  the  gentle  moon,  "  and  see  how 
gently  my  light  shows  the  rippling  of  the  river, 


94  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

and  how  beautifully  yonder  red  farm-house  light 
contrasts  in  its  reflection  in  the  dark  pools  of 
water  with  my  silver  radiance.  The  time  may 
come  when  you  will  love  the  darkness  of  a  night 
without  a  moon ;  enjoy  this  peaceful  moonlight 
while  you  can."  The  young  man  strode  on  :  the 
beautiful  landscape  had  no  charms  for  him.  At 
length  he  emerged  from  the  pastures,  and  struck 
the  high-road,  and  in  a  few  moments  was  at  the 
door  of  the  hotel  in  Milltown.  He  immediately 
repaired  to  the  billiard-room. 

"  Here  is  our  man  !  "  exclaimed  Harry  Stetlow, 
pausing  in  the  attitude  of  striking  a  ball. 

"  You  look  tired,  Black,"  said  Frank  Hender- 
son, chalking  his  cue. 

"  I  am  rather  tired,"  said  Ned  Black  ;  throwing 
himself  upon  a  lounge,  and  putting  his  hands 
behind  his  back. 

"What's  the  prospect  of  your  nine  beating 
the  next  game  ? "  asked  Stetlow,  after  he  had 
missed  his  ball. 

"  Oh !  we  shall  beat,"  said  Black,  gloomily. 
"Your  nine  can't  hit  O'Callahan's  balls.  'It's 
out  of  the  question  to  compete  with  a  nine  which 
has  got  such  a  pitcher." 

"  Well,  old  fellow,  your  manner  belies  your 
words,  then,"  said  Henderson.  "  However,  I 
hear  old  Tom  Milton  is  ready  to  bet  five  hun- 
dred dollars  that  Dornfiekl  can  produce  a  nine 
which  can  beat  any  which  Milltown  can  raise." 


THE  KNAVE   OF  CLUBS.  95 

"Augustus  Davis,  of  the  Duck  Mills,  has  a 
large  bet  with  Milton,  I  hear,"  said  Stetlow,  sit- 
ting on  the  edge  of  the  billiard  table.  "  In  fact, 
all  the  rich  old  gents  in  this  town  are  interested 
in  the  affair,  and  betting  is  all  the  rage.  There 's 
a  chance  for  some  one  to  make  some  money  out 
of  this  match.  I  Ve  got  a  small  wager  myself, 
with  Brown  of  the  Gilbert  Mill,  that  the  Milltown 
nine  will  win.  I  hope  you  are  going  to  make 
something  out  of  all  this  excitement,  Black. 
You  can  make  six  or  seven  hundred  dollars  very 
easily." 

"  How  ?  "  asked  Black. 

"  Oh  !  there  are  various  ways,"  said  Stetlow, 
winking  at  Henderson,  and  blowing  tobacco- 
smoke  rings  in  the  air.  "  Come,  let 's  have  some 
punch  and  a  game  of  cards  :  I  'm  tired  of  bill- 
iards." 

His  companions  were  not  averse  to  his  sug- 
gestion, and  they  accordingly  repaired  to  a  private 
room. 

"  Now,  I  tell  you,  Black,"  said  Stetlow,  striking 
the  table  with  his  fist,  "you  are  a  fool  if  you 
don't  make  a  handsome  thing  out  of  this  match." 

"  I  propose  to,"  replied  Black,  watching  the 
smoke  from  his  cigar. 

"  In  what  way  ?  "  asked  Henderson. 

"  Oh  !  in  the  way  of  bets ;  I  Ve  already  taken 
several." 


96  THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

"  On  the  success  of  your  nine,  I  suppose  ? " 
asked  Stetlow. 

"  Certainly." 

"  You  feel  sure,  then  ?  "  said  Henderson. 

"  Perfectly." 

"  Well,  you  are  a  fool  if  you  don't  make  a  pile. 
You  have  the  game  all  in  your  own  hands, 
haven't  you  ? " 

"  I  think  I  have." 

"  Well,  then,  get  some  one  to  take  Tom  Mil- 
ton's heavy  bets,  and  so  manage  the  play  that  the 
Dornfield  nine  are  beaten,"  said  Stetlow,  keeping 
his  sharp  black  eyes  fixed  upon  Ned  Black. 

"  Who  do  you  take  me  for  ? "  asked  Black, 
angrily,  putting  down  his  glass  of  punch. 

"  I  take  you  for  Ned  Black,  —  a  man  who  can't 
afford  to  neglect  opportunities.  We  must  have 
some  more  money,  Black,  to  prop  up  our  stock 
enterprise.  Perhaps  you  see  a  way  to  obtain  it : 
I  don't.  We  must  have  it." 

"  This  idea  of  yours  is  quixotic,  and  damned 
disagreeable,  Stetlow." 

"  I  think  Stetlow  is  right,"  said  Henderson, 
finishing  a  glass  of  liquor.  "  We  ought  to  make 
something  out  of  this  great  excitement.  Why, 
the  fellows  clown  in  York  don't  think  any  thing 
of  making  a  cool  two  or  three  thousand  on  a 
ball  game. 

"  Yes  ;  but  no  honorable  players  sell  a  game." 


THE  KNAVE   OF  CLUBS.  97 

"Well,  there  are  nice  distinctions,  I  '11  acknowl- 
edge ;  but  the  crowd  have  the  fun  all  the  same, 
and  then  there  is  the  usual  luck  of  the  game.  I 
don't  see  why  your  hard  work  and  energy  in 
ball-playing  shouldn't  receive  the  pay  that  any 
other  pursuit  would  have  given  it,  if  you  had  in- 
vested the  same  amount  of  energy  in  it." 

"  We  've  got  to  have  more  money,  and  that 
speedily,"  said  Stetlow.  "  Here  is  a  ready  way 
of  getting  it :  six  or  seven  hundred  dollars  will 
save  us  as  many  thousands.  Without  it,  every 
thing  goes  by  the  board.  Now,  if  you  will  man- 
age to  let  the  Milltown  nine  win,  why,  I  will  take 
old  Milton's  bets  as  high  as  he  chooses  to  go ; 
and*we  shall  be  lifted  right  out  of  our  difficulties. 
Then,  there  are  several  other  bets  I  can  take 
among  Milton's  friends  :  we  can  make  a  good 
thing  out  of  it." 

Black  moodily  drank  and  smoked.  He  felt 
himself  under  the  power  of  Stetlow.  The  latter 
knew  all  his  embarrassments,  and  had  several 
secrets  of  his  in  his  possession.  Black  had 
dreaded  a  demand  for  money  from  him  for  many 
weeks.  It  had  not  come  ;  but  he  felt  inwardly 
sure  that  its  coming  was  only  a  matter  of  time. 
He  had  looked  for  aid  from  their  various  specu- 
lations ;  but  they  always  needed  propping  up 
with  additional  funds.  The  sentiment  of  honor 
is  not  sapped  all  at  once :  it  yields  to  slow  but 
5  G 


98  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

persistent  attacks.  By  taking  a  small  sum  from 
the  bank,  he  had  dealt  it  a  powerful  blow  ;  but 
he  had  consoled  himself  by  the  thought  that  he 
should  speedily  replace  it.  Now  he  was  a.sked 
to  surrender  his  personal  honor  in  the  cause  in 
which  muscular  prowess  and  endurance  made  an 
open  fight  for  fair  play.  Villains  preserve,  some- 
times tenaciously,  honor  in  prize-fights.  The 
term,  "a  square  man,"  has  much  significance 
and  weight  with  them.  To  sell  a  game  of  base 
ball  cost  Ned  Black  far  deeper  and  more  agoniz- 
ing pangs  than  to  take  a  small  sum  of  money 
from  the  bank,  with  the  idea  of  speedily  replacing 
it ;  besides,  if  he  lost  the  game,  how  would  the 
Miltons  regard  him  ?  He  was  now  in  the  height 
of  favor  with  them  ;  and  Miss  Milton  had  come 
to  regard  him  in  quite  a  tender  light,  he  felt  cer- 
tain. How  could  he  sell  the  game,  and  yet 
maintain  the  secret  ?  His  companions  continued 
to  dwell  upon  the  great  excitement  with  which  the 
game  was  expected.  Special  trains  were  to  run 
from  the  neighboring  towns  on  the  day  of  the 
match,  and  even  in  the  city  of  Worcester  betting 
ran  high;  for  the  manufacturing  firms  of  Smith 
&  Speller,  and  Franklin,  Brown,  &  Co.,  had  many 
friends  and  business  connections  in  the  metrop- 
olis. Tom  Milton  was  also  well  known  ;  and  his 
former  business  agents  took  a  personal  interest 
in  the  approaching  contest.  Business  had  grown 


THE  KNAVE   OF  CLUBS.  99 

dull ;  and  the  minds  which  had  been  stimulated 
by  the  rush  of  trade  during  the  war  were 
ready  to  seize  upon  any  thing  which  promised 
excitement. 

"  What  do  you  say,  old  fellow  ?  "  said  Hender- 
son, tapping  Black  upon  the  arm  with  his  light 
cane. 

Black  roused  himself  from  a  deep  reverie,  and 
walked  the  room  backward  and  forward. 

"  It  is  not  in  the  power  of  one  man  to  make 
or  mar  a  game  of  base  ball  :  the  chances  are 
widely  distributed." 

"  It  is  in  your  power,"  said  Stetlow,  "  to  lose 
that  game  for  the  Dornfield  nine.  You  are  the 
catcher." 

"  My  efforts  to  lose  the  game  would  be  too 
evident ;  supposing,  for  the  sake  of  argument, 
that  I  undertook  to  lose  the  game." 

"  It  is  easy  enough  for  you  to  win  over  the 
pitcher,  O'Callahan ;  so  that  the  game  lies  between 
you  two,"  said  Henderson. 

Black  glared  at  the  two  men.  From  their  man- 
ner it  was  plain  that  they  felt  sure  of  their  victim. 

"  If  you  know  of  any  speedier  way  of  raising  a 
requisite  sum  of  money,  Black,"  said  Stetlow, 
"I  should  like  to  hear  of  it.  The  note  which 
comes  due  on  the  twentieth  must  be  paid. 
Henderson,  I  've  got  to  go  over  and  see  Green 
in  West  Milltown  ;  don't  you  want  to  ride  down 


100  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

with  me  ?    I  'd  like  to  know,  Black,  your  decision 
in  this  matter  by  to-morrow  morning." 

Black  returned  their  salutes  mechanically,  as 
they  left  the  room.  "  A  precious  pair  !  "  he  mur- 
mured to  himself.  He  sat  down  beside  the  empty 
glasses  at  the  table,  and  tried  to  think  over  his 
perilous  position.  The  money  which  he  had  taken 
from  the  bank  must  be  restored  at  all  hazards ; 
Stetlow  must  be  given  money  to  seal  his  mouth 
about  certain  matters  ;  and  money  must  be  raised 
to  save  that  which  had  been  already  invested  in 
stocks  and  the  manufacturing  enterprise  whicrK  _  . 
he  had  entered  into  with  Stetlow  and  Henderson.  \o* 
Money !  money !  money !  seemed  to  be  writtenr 
in  letters  of  fire  upon  every  wall  of  the  room. 
He  thought  over  the  project  of  selling  the  gamt 
It  seemed  to  gain  in  feasibility  the  longer  he^ 
thought  about  it.  Why  should  he  not  do  it? 
Tom  Milton  was  a  very  rich  man,  and  he  had 
the  excitement  of  the  game  whether  it  was  won 
or  lost.  How  could  he  prevent  his  effort  to  lose 
the  game  from  becoming  too  evident  ?  Pat 
O'Callahan,  it  was  evident,  must  be  gained  over 
to  his  side,  or  disposed  of  in  some  way.  He  was 
interrupted  in  his  meditations  by  the  entrance  of 
the  stable-keeper  who  kept  his  mare. 

"  Well,  Brown,  how  is  the  mare ;  had  any  ex- 
ercise to-day  ? " 

"  She 's  not  well  to-night." 


THE  KNAVE    OF  CLUBS.  IOI 

"  Not  well  !  "  Black  started  up,  for  he  had 
determined  to  sell  her  on  the  following  day  to 
Spring,  of  Worcester,  who  had  long  desired  to  own 
her.  With  the  money  from  the  sale,  he  could 
restore  a  portion  of  the  money  to  the  bank. 

"  She  's  been  sort  of  moping  all  day,"  replied 
Brown,  "  and  looks  out  of  condition.  Her  hair 
stands  up  in  ridges.  I  want  you  to  come  over 
and  take  a  look  at  her." 

Black  speedily  left  the  room  with  his  compan- 
ion, and  repaired  to  the  stable.  The  hostler  held 
up  the  lantern  in  the  box  stall.  The  mare  was 
reclining  on  the  floor,  and  breathing  heavily. 

"  I  'm  afeard  she's  going  to  make  a  die  of  it," 
said  Brown. 

The  tears  came  into  the  young  man's  eyes,  as 
he  saw  the  splendid  creature  look  up  at  him  with 
her  eloquent  eyes.  He  stroked  her  mane ;  she 
gave  a  slight  neigh,  and  then  fell  back  dead. 

"  That 's  ended,"  said  Black,  stepping  out  of 
the  box.  He  gave  orders  in  regard  to  her  final 
disposition,  and  walked  out  upon  the  village 
street.  The  Fates  seemed  to  decree  that  he 
should  join  with  Stetlow  in  an  agreement  to 
make  money  out  of  the  approaching  game.  He 
repaired  again  to  the  hotel,  and  wrote  a  note  to 
Stetlow,  assenting  to  his  proposition,  and  prom- 
ised to  meet  him  on  the  following  morning  to 
enter  into  more  definite  arrangements. 


102  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

BASE-BALL    MATTERS. 

A  LTHOUGH  Tom  Milton  was  much  liked 
•**•  by  his  old  business  friends  for  his  warmth 
of  heart  and  his  hearty  ways ;  still,  he  always 
provoked  intense  opposition  in  business  circles, 
from  a  certain  autocratic  manner.  It  was  use- 
less to  oppose  one  of  Tom  Milton's  speculative 
moves :  he  swept  every  thing  before  him  by 
his  quickness  of  conception  and  concentration 
of  aim.  He  was  an  emperor  in  trade.  He 
carried  the  same  traits  into  his  retirement  at 
Dornfield,  and  ruled  wherever  he  went.  When 
he  took  up  the  Dornfield  base-ball  nine,  from  a 
quick  sympathy  for  young  men's  pursuits  and 
pleasures,  his  old  business  friends  and  rivals  at 
Milltown  entered  into  opposition  at  first  with  a 
certain  sense  of  humor,  and  afterwards  in 
deadly  earnest.  They  were  determined  to  thwart 
him,  if  there  was  money  and  enterprise  enough 
in  Milltown.  The  young  business  men  took  up 
the  affair  with  great  eagerness  ;  out  of  business 


BASE-BALL  MATTERS.  103 

hours,  they  had  generally  occupied  themselves  in 
trotting  their  horses  against  each  other,  or  in 
getting  up  races  at  a  neighboring  park.  The 
races  that  spring  had  been  failures,  and  the  same 
class  of  men  engaged  in  the  base-ball  war  with 
all  their  might.  The  coming  depression  in  man- 
ufacturing, as  we  have  said,  contributed  also  to 
create  an  interest  in  any  thing  which  promised 
excitement.  This  state  of  affairs  afforded  a  good 
study  to  Grandhurst,  who  occasionally  drove 
over  to  Milltown  with  the  Silvers. 

"  This  is  always  the  way  with  the  American 
people,"  said  Mr.  Silver,  one  day  after  they  had 
witnessed  a  base-ball  match  on  the  green. 
"  They  run  every  thing  into  the  ground,  just  as 
they  take  a  locomotive  and  drive  it  until  the 
thing  bursts  under  the  tension  that  has  gradually 
relaxed  its  strength." 

"  Curious  state  of  semi-civilization,"  said  Grand- 
hurst.  "  Good  thing  to  study,  if  there  was 
any  depth  to  the  thing ;  but  that 's  the  trouble. 
These  people  take  impressions  as  quickly  as  a 
sensitive  plate,  and  the  impressions  fade  out  as 
soon  as  they  are  taken." 

"  We  had  certain  national  characteristics  dur- 
ing the  Revolution,"  remarked  Mr.  Silver  ;  "  but 
we  are  now  ready  to  take  up  with  any  thing  that 
suits  the  hour.  Heigh  ho  !  I  've  about  made  up 
my  mind  to  go  to  Europe  to  live." 


104  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"  I  don't  think  I  can  stand  this  sort  of  thing 
long,"  sighed  Grandhurst,  in  return.  As  he  said 
this,  he  caught  sight  of  Miss  Milton  driving  with 
great  speed  towards  Dornfield,  with  Bobbie 
Snevel  on  the  seat  beside  her.  His  heart  cer- 
tainly thumped  :  it  was  not  possible  that  this 
hoydenish  girl  could  have  fascinated  him  in  the 
least.  She  was  only  a  curious  psychological 
study. 

"  There  goes  that  girl  of  Milton's,"  said  Mr. 
Silver.  "  She  has  been  over  to  Milltown  with 
that  little  urchin  to  inquire  the  price  of  base-ball 
bats  and  dead  balls,  I  '11  warrant." 

Miss  Milton  had  been  on  a  much  more  im- 
portant errand.  Bobbie  Snevel  had  spent  the 
day  in  gathering  it-ems  about  the  players  on  the 
Milltown  nine,  and  in  watching  their  practice  ; 
and  she  had  driven  over  in  the  evening  to  bring 
him  home  according  to  her  promise.  The  boy, 
unobserved,  had  mingled  with  the  players,  had 
treasured  up  their  remarks,  and  had  carefully 
noted  the  practice  of  each  man.  He  had  accom- 
panied them  to  the  inn,  with  the  admiring  crowd 
of  men  and  urchins,  and  had  gathered  up  the 
various  opinions  he  heard  expressed.  His  heart 
beat  high  with  exultation,  when  he  overheard 
the  base-ball  players  of  Milltown  say  that  no- 
body could  catch  like  Ned  Black.  Wasn't  Black 
the  intimate  friend  of  his  sister  and  himself? 


BASE-BALL  MATTERS.  1 05 

Didn't  they  know  the  great  ball-player  better 
than  all  the  world  ?  Didn't  he  know  that  Black 
loved  his  own  beautiful  sister,  and  wasn't  this  a 
secret  which  the  whole  world  would  be  proud  to 
know  some  day  ?  He  was  tempted  to  laugh  out 
aloud  in  derision  at  the  playing  of  the  captain 
of  the  Milltown  nine,  in  the  presence  of  the 
Milltown  boys  ;  but  prudence  restrained  him. 
Wouldn't  he  hurrah,  though,  on  the  day  of  the 
match  ?  With  his  little  straw  hat  far  on  the 
back  of  his  head,  and  his  body  thrust  eagerly 
through  the  motley  crowd  which  always  watched 
the  practice  of  the  Milltown  nine,  he  was  the 
embodiment  of  base-ball  enthusiasm.  Once,  dur- 
ing the  afternoon,  Bobbie  had  found  himself  in 
the  midst  of  a  group  of  men,  who  were  carefully 
canvassing  the  chances  of  victory  in  the  coming 
match.  He  heard  Ned  Black's  name  mentioned 
repeatedly  ;  and,  apparently  full  of  interest  in 
the  practice-game  which  was  going  on,  listened 
eagerly  to  what  was  said. 

"  I  tell  you,"  said  one  of  the  men,  whom  he 
heard  called  Stetlow,  "  we  shall  make  the  thing 
sure.  Black  is  all  right ;  we  understand  each 
other  perfectly  ;  and  the  only  question  is,  how  to 
throw  the  dust.  Ned  will  manage  O'Callahan. 
We  must  not  appear  in  the  matter,  except  in  a 
dark  way  :  you  understand  ?  " 


106  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

"There's  a  large  margin  of  risk,"  said  another 
dark-featured  man. 

"  Oh !  but  there  is  no  risk,"  said  Stetlow, 
speaking  in  a  low,  determined  voice.  "I  tell 
you,  Black  must  lose  the  game.  I  've  made  my 
bets.  We  understand  each  -other  perfectly. 
Now,  it 's  only  a  question  whether  you  will  join 
us." 

"  I  want  to  talk  with  Black  myself,  first,"  said 
his  companion. 

"  Well,  I  agree  to  that.  Black  is  coming  over 
this  evening  to  have  the  last  talk,  and  you  will 
have  an  opportunity.  I  tell  you,"  said  Stetlow, 
in  a  whisper,  as  they  moved  away  from  Bobbie's 
neighborhood,  "  Black  has  got  to  lose  this  game  ; 
and  he  will  do  it." 

Bobbie  stood  transfixed  among  the  crowd  of 
urchins  who  surrounded  him.  He  did  not  like 
the  looks  of  the  men  ;  and  there  was  something 
in  their  conversation  that  excited  him  greatly. 
"  Black  must  lose  the  game  !  "  How  could  that 
be  ?  He  resolved  to  tell  his  sister  the  conversa- 
tion, and  see  if  she  could  unravel  the  mystery. 
No  ;  he  wouldn't.  Rose  didn't  know  any  thing 
about  base  ball.  He  would  ask  Miss  Milton, 
wouldn't  he  ?  or  would  he  ?  As  he  walked  up 
the  Dqrnfield  road,  busily  thinking,  he  found 
himself  presently  face  to  face  with  old  Cherry, 
Miss  Milton's  horse.  He  started  back  in  aston- 
ishment. 


BASE-BALL  MATTERS.  1 07 

"Well,  Bobbie,  are  you  going  to  run  old 
Cherry  down  ?  "  exclaimed  Miss  Molly,  with  a 
hearty  laugh. 

"  My  !  "  exclaimed  Bobbie.  "  I  got  right  into 
him,  didn't  I  ?  Guess  you  thought  I  was  a  sup- 
perambulist  ? "  \ 

"  A  somnambulist,  Bobbie  !  " 

"  Yes  ;  that 's  it.     Well,  I  was  thinking." 

"  What  about  ?  " 

"  Them  fellers  over  there  can't  play  with  our 
fellers :  they  muff  right  along.  Once,  the  cap- 
tain caught  a  high  ball,  and  they  applauded  as  if 
he  had  done  a  big  thing.  Why,  Ned  Black 
wouldn't  have  thought  any  thing  of  it.  I  've 
seen  him  jump  three  feet,  and  catch  a  red-hot 
one.  Their  short-stop  plays  too  wide  too  ;  and 
they  let  fellers  steal  bases  right  and  left." 

"  How  does  their  new  man,  Masters,  play  ? " 
asked  the  young  lady. 

"  Well,  he  aint  much  :  fellers  have  to  tell  him 
when  to  run.  But  he  has  got  a  powerful  long 
arm,  and  he  swoops  in  all  the  balls  that  come 
within  ten  feet  of  him.  I  've  heard  lots  of  things 
to-day." 

"  You  have,  I  know.  Tell  them  to  me,  Bobbie. 
Ned  Black  is  coming  up  to  see  uncle  to-morrow 
morning ;  and  we  want  to  know  every  thing." 
Bobbie  suddenly  became  silent.  "  You  are  walk- 
ing in  your  sleep  again,  aren't  you  ? "  said  Miss 


108  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

Milton,  bending  down,  and  looking  him  comically 
in  the  face. 

"  I  aint  nuther." 

"  Well,  there  is  something  the  matter,  I  know. 
Tell  me,  Bobbie." 

"  1*  heard  lots  of  fellers  say  that  Ned  Black  is 
the  best  ball-player  in  the  whole  country.  They 
talked  about  him  as  if  they  knew  him  as  well  as 
I  do." 

"  Of  course,  they  don't !  "  exclaimed  his  com- 
panion. "  He  always  speaks  of  you,  and  says 
you  know  as  much  about  the  game  as  he  does." 

"  Did  he  say  that  ? "  said  Bobbie,  with  a  look  of 
gratified  pride. 

"  Yes :  we  both  are  great  friends  of  his,  Bob- 
bie. I  like  him  too,"  said  Miss  Milton,  with  a 
blush.  There  could  be  no  harm  in  acknowledg- 
ing an  interest  in  Black  to  the  boy. 

Bobbie  immediately  related  all  that  he  had 
heard.  His  companion  in  her  turn  became  ex- 
tremely thoughtful.  "  Oh  !  he  has  some  business 
speculations  in  Milltown.  That  is  what  they  were 
talking  about.  You  know,  business  men  talk 
about  their  '  little  game/  and  use  slang  phrases." 
She  quieted  the  curiosity  of  the  boy  by  this 
answer ;  but  his  communication  awakened  a 
train  of  thoughts  within  her. 

The  material  of  the  Dornfield  nine  was  excel- 
lent. The  weakest  spot  in  the  nine  was,  to 


BASE-BALL  MATTERS.  109 

speak  paradoxically,  also  the  strongest.  O'Cal- 
lahan  was  a  superb  pitcher,  every  one  agreed ; 
but  he  could  not  be  depended  upon  off  the  ball- 
field.  Once  engaged  in  a  game,  and  he  played 
gallantly  ;  but  the  difficulty  was  to  keep  him  in 
good  trim  from  day  to  day.  He  fully  understood 
his  importance ;  and  was  determined  to  profit 
by  it  to  the  utmost.  He  ruled  the  nine  with  a 
rod  of  iron.  "  O'Callahan  has  taken  a  miff,  and 
there  can't  be  any  practice  to-day  ; "  or,  "  O'Cal- 
lahan is  on  a  spree,  and  Mr.  Milton  is  search- 
ing Milltown  for  him."  The  young  Irishman 
knew  that  he  would  be  taken  care  of,  and  he 
consequently  went  his  own  way.  After  his  sprees 
he  was  moody,  and  thought  that  the  rest  of  the 
nine  considered  themselves  above  him  ;  and  he 
wouldn't  play  until  all  had  abased  themselves  be- 
fore him,  like  the  subjects  of  an  Eastern  monarch. 
Mr.  Tom  Milton  fumed  and  fretted.  He  would 
give  Pat  a  lesson  some  day.  Just  let  them  win 
this  match,  and  then  the  Irishman  should  see 
who  was  master ;  but,  nevertheless,  Pat  was 
master  now.  He  wore  the  best  black  broadcloth, 
and  lived  on  the  fat  of  the  land.  He  sent  for 
his  first  cousin  in  Ireland  ;  and  got  him  a  place 
through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Milton  ;  and  he 
seriously  meditated  matrimony  with  the  widow 
of  Mike  Carney,  who  lived  in  Milltown  with  her 
five  children.  We  have  related  the  struggles  of 


110  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

Mr.  Milton  to  keep  Pat  from  the  grasp  of  the 
law  in  Milltown.  These  struggles  became  greater 
from  day  to  day.  It  happened  —  fortunately  for 
the  morality  of  Dornfield  and  Milltown,  but  un- 
fortunately for  Mr.  Milton  —  that  the  temperance 
cause  had  begun  to  be  unusually  agitated  ;  and 
it  was  resolved  to  proceed  against  all  illegal 
dealers  in  liquor  in  both  villages.  Some  of  the 
deacons  of  the  church  began  to  denounce  base 
ball,  and  pointed  to  Pat  O'Callahan  as  a  proof 
that  it  encouraged  drinking.  Tom  Milton  was 
accused  of  countenancing  the  use  of  liquors. 
Mr.  Milton  held  his  standing  in  the  community 
very  jealously,  and  was  much  troubled  by  the 
talk  which  arose ;  but  he  did  not  flinch.  Pat 
should  pitch  for  them,  at  all  costs.  Finally,  it 
was  determined  that  Pat  should  have  a  room  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Black's  ;  and  that  young 
man  promised  to  see  that  he  was  in  bed  at  nine 
o'clock  every  evening.  Pat  was  given  a  serious 
talking  to  by  Mr.  Milton,  and  he  was  all  repent- 
ance and  tears ;  for  it  was  after  a  fresh  release 
from  the  lock-up  at  Milltown,  where  a  severe 
penalty  had  stared  him  in  the  face. 

"  Now,  Black,  we  have  done  our  part,"  said 
Stetlow,  as  he  related  the  endeavors  in  Milltown 
to  get  Pat  sentenced  and  out  of  the  way.  "  You 
must  do  yours,  —  any  way  it  seems  best ;  but  the 
fact  is,  Pat  must  not  pitch  against  our  nine." 


BASE-BALL  MATTERS.  Ill 


Black  felt  that  he  was  getting  deeper  and 
deeper  into  the  toils.  So  Pat  came  to  have  a 
nice  room  next  to  his.  He  dressed  in  the  best, 
and  wore  shoes  which  were  masterpieces  of 
workmanship.  They  were  stitched  in  the  most 
ornamental  fashion ;  and  were  fashioned  to  a 
point  which,  like  the  horns  of  a  species  of  ante- 
lope, threatened  to  turn  back  so  far  as  to  pene- 
trate the  body.  He  purchased  a  fiddle,  and 
learned  to  play  Rory  O'More.  Some  of  the 
deacons  of  the  church  said  they  heard  high 
noises  of  wassail  in  Pat's  room  late  at  night :  but 
they  were  felt  to  be  mistaken ;  for  Ned  Black, 
it  was  well  known,  had  taken  charge  of  the 
pitcher. 

When  it  began,  Rose  could  not  tell ;  but  Ned 
Black  grew  less  attentive  and  loving.  He  was 
often  silent  and  preoccupied  when  they  were 
together.  He  had  met  her,  on  the  morning  after 
he  had  seen  her  father  at  the  garden-gate,  wi'th 
the  same  openness  of  demeanor,  and  had  con- 
vinced her  of  his  love  for  her  in  the  same  man- 
ner that  he  had  always  done.  The  change  she 
noticed  was  perhaps  due  to  the  coming  base-ball 
game.  His  mind  was  occupied  with  it.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  nine  practised  more  than  ever. 
There  were  few  afternoons  or  evenings  that  they 
could  be  together.  Rose  sat  in  her  chamber 
watching  incessantly  for  his  coming,  gazing  out 


112  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 


through  the  blinds.  One  evening  she  saw  him 
walk  by  with  Miss  Molly  Milton.  They  were 
talking  merrily  together.  Rose  flung  herself 
upon  a  couch,  and  wept  bitter  tears,  and  then 
proudly  rose  and  removed  all  trace  of  them. 
"  She  was  too  silly  :  of  course  he  could  walk  with 
Miss  Milton,  occasionally."  Her  father  grew 
more  exacting  from  day  to  day,  and  came  home 
more  helpless  night  after  night.  Rose  perceived 
that  some  one  helped  him  through  the  gate :  she 
could  not  recognize  Mr.  Graham,  and  thought 
that  it  was  her  lover.  The  sweet  thought  that 
this  watchfulness  was  done  for  love  of  her  was 
turned  to  bitterness  by  pride  arid  a  feeling  of  dis- 
honor. Mr.  Graham  saw  that  she  was  troubled, 
and  he  made  her  realize  by  his  courteous 
manner  that  he  was  a  much-interested  friend. 
But  one  has  to  bear  the  severest  pangs  of  life 
alone.  Her  father  despised  Graham.  "  Who 
were  the  Grahams  ?  "  he  asked  Rose,  frequently, 
in  a  contemptuous  tone.  Mr.  Graham  angered 
him  by  his  rigidity  in  business  matters.  Mr. 
Snevel  looked  upon  commercial  pursuits  as  be- 
neath a  gentleman  ;  and  he  regarded,  further- 
more, the  man  who  disputed  or  questioned  a 
Snevel's  right  to  borrow  on  insufficient  security 
as  a  base-born  churl.  A  man's  habit  of  loose- 
ness in  money  matters  is  never  questioned  by 
one  person  alone ;  and  Mr.  Snevel's  notes  of 


BASE-BALL   MATTERS.  113 

hand  were  looked  upon,  generally,  with  distrust 
by  the  well-to-do  farmers  about  Dornfield.  The 
management  of  the  Snevel  mansion  fell  into 
much  disorder ;  for  Mr.  Snevel  was  so  very  ex- 
acting of  his  cook,  and  expected  her  to  take 
so  large  a  share  of  her  wages  in  the  honor  of 
living  with  a  family  of  the  Snevels'  standing, 
that  he  was  generally  poorly  served.  Rose  had 
to  bear  the  brunt  of  her  father's  displeasure  at 
the  poorness  of  their  table.  His  rebukes  were 
always  administered  in  the  most  courtly  manner, 
but  withal  in  a  very  cutting  one.  So  that,  after 
restraining  her  brother's  impulsive  defence  of  his 
sister,  she  withdrew  to  her  own  room  to  have  a 
good  cry.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  perhaps, 
that  a  man  like  Mr.  Snevel,  accustomed  in  his 
youth  and  middle  age  to  adulation  and  atten- 
tion, should,  after  spending  a  tiresome  morning 
among  his  books,  dress  himself  with  the  utmost 
elegance,  —  even  to  putting  a  rose  in  the  lapel  of 
his  double-breasted  coat,  —  and  seek  the  society 
of  his  congenial  friend,  Mr.  Bandy. 

Miss  Milton  called  on  Rose,  frequently.  But 
they  never  could  be  very  intimate  ;  although  Miss 
Milton  greatly  admired  her  friend,  and  was 
ready  to  be  very  demonstrative.  Rose's  reserve, 
however,  was  impenetrable.  She  had  been 
brought  up  in  the  notion  that  it  was  the  sign  of 
low-born  people  to  manifest  much  feeling  ;  and 


1 1 4  THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

her  father  had  cultivated  in  her  a  certain  exclu- 
siveness.  Miss  Milton,  on  the  other  hand,  had 
grown  up  in  an  atmosphere  of  demonstrative 
affection.  She  was  speedily  chilled  by  the  aris- 
tocratic bearing  which  Rose  manifested,  almost 
unconsciously.  Miss  Milton  had  conferred  upon 
her  the  name  of  the  "  Rose  of  Dornfield,"  and 
was  always  loud  in  her  expressions  of  admiration. 
Since  Black  had  been  a  frequent  visitor  at  the 
Miltons',  the  two  young  women  saw  less  of  each 
other.  Rose,  whenever  they  met,  showed  much 
liantcur ;  which  angered  Miss  Molly  at  first,  and 
afterward  fascinated  her. 

"Don't  you  think  Miss  Rose  Snevel  is  abso- 
lutely bewitching  ? "  she  said  to  Ned  Black,  one 
evening,  in  an  innocent  way. 

The  young  man  colored  ;  but  it  could  not  have 
been  that  his  companion  should  have  noticed 
his  blush,  for  they  were  sitting  in  the  twilight. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied  ;   "  she  is  very  pretty." 

"  Pretty  !  why  I  call  her  absolutely  beautiful. 
I  don't  see  what  the  young  men  are  thinking  of, 
not  to  pick  such  a  rose." 

"  There  are  so  many  beautiful  flowers  in  Dora- 
field,"  said  Black,  with  a  bow. 

"  Of  course,  the  place  is  celebrated  ;  but  there 
is  but  one  rose  here.  I  think  she  has  a  face 
that  a  poet  might  dream  about.  The  gaze  of 
those  large  eyes  fairly  intoxicates  me." 


BASE-BALL  MATTERS.  115 

"  You  talk  like  a  young  man,"  laughed  her 
companion. 

"  I  wouldn't  merely  talk  if  I  were  one,"  re- 
torted his  companion. 

"  Is  it  possible,"  said  Black  to  himself,  as  he 
went  home,  "  that  Miss  Milton  thinks  I  am  en- 
gaged to  Rose  ?  Yes,  Rose  is  beautiful ;  but 
what  a  fool  I  was  not  to  go  in  for  this  rich 
girl!" 

Miss  Milton  had  revolved  Bobbie's  communi- 
cation carefully  over  in  her  own  mind.  She  was 
a  girl  of  much  penetration,  and  she  watched  Ned 
Black  narrowly  ;  resisting  with  a  strong  will  the 
fascination  which  she  felt  creep  over  her  in  his 
presence.  It  was  not  possible  that  he  was  act- 
ing in  an  underhanded  way  in  this  coming  game. 
He  seemed  to  be  the  soul  of  honor ;  and  such  a 
manly  fellow  !  She  felt  positively  irritated  at  the 
contrast  between  him  and  Dick  Softy.  She 
liked  the  latter ;  but  she  despised  his  effemi- 
nacy. 

"  Dick,"  said  she  one  day  to  the  latter,  as  he 
strolled  in  to  see  her,  "  do  they  ever  sell  base- 
ball games  ?  Now  don't  try  to  pun :  I  want  a 
fair  answer." 

"  You  fire  your  questions  at  me  as  if  they 
were  cannon-balls,"  said  Dick.  "  Suppose  I 
should  ask,  What  are  you  continually  working 
on  that  blue  stuff  for  ?  Now,  no  subterfuge." 


Il6  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Well,  this  blue  stuff  is  for  the  badges  of  our 
nine.  But,  honestly  now,  do  they  ?  " 

"  Do  they  ? " 

"  Ever  sell  base-ball  games  ? " 

"  In  Boston,  I  believe  you  can  get  'em  at  the 
shops  :  let  me  see,  —  down  there  in  Cornhill." 

"  Come,  come,  you  know  what  I  mean :  do 
they  ever  lose  a  game  for  money  ? " 

"Yes,"  said  Dick,  looking  her  honestly  in 
the  face,  with  his  blue  eyes  expressing  much 
curiosity.  "They  do  in  the  large  cities,  some- 
times ;  but  we  are  so  honest  in  Dornfield  that  it 
is  not  to  be  thought  of." 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it.  Well,  Dick,  I  was 
truly  glad  to  see  you  playing  base  ball  the  other 
day.  I  suppose  you  can  hit  a  ball,  once  in  a 
while,  now  ? " 

"  No  doubt  of  it,  —  not  the  least.  Deused  bore, 
however,  this  base-ball  excitement.  I  'm  longing 
for  it  to  be  over,  so  that  people  will  become 
rational  again." 

"Now,  don't  you  talk  like  Mr.  Grandhurst," 
exclaimed  his  companion.  "  I  want  you  to  have 
some  enthusiasm  ;  and  not  think  every  thing  is  a 
bore,  and  that  there  is  nothing  good  that  is 
American.  That  man  angers  me  beyond  meas- 
ure. He  hasn't  any  healthy  enjoyment  of  things. 
He  has  lived  on  French  cooking -so  long  that 
his  whole  system  partakes  of  its  mawkish,  unsat- 


BASE-BALL  MATTERS.  1 17 

isfying  fastidiousness.  He  wants  to  convert  the 
freshest  and  purest  impulses  of  nature,  which  he 
should  accept,  into  subjects  for  dissection.  He 
psychologizes  about  every  thing.  I  like  a  fresh 
man  ;  one  who  can  run  a  race,  or  play'  ball,  or 
act  out  whatever  there  is  in  him,  without  consult- 
ing mental  processes.  A  man  like  my  uncle ; 
simple  and  natural,  strong  and  noble,  —  that  is 
the  kind  of  man  I  would  have." 

"  Would  have  !  "  continued  Dick,  in  a  jesting 
tone.  - 

"  Never  mind,"  replied  Miss  Milton,  coloring 
slightly,  and  bending  over  her  work. 

"  I  think  of  going  away  soon,"  said  Dick,  in  a 
sad  tone,  watching  her  narrowly. 

"Going!"  she  exclaimed,  quickly  lifting  her 
eyes. 

"  Yes,  —  to  supper." 

"  Oh  !  I  would  go  instantly.  Don't  let  me  de- 
tain you  one  instant.  I  think  I  hear  your  supper- 
bell  now.  Do  go.  Sha'n't  I  have  John  harness 
up,  and  take  you  home  ?  "  She  arose,  and  swept 
across  the  room  to  touch  the  bell. 

"  I  wouldn't  pull  it,"  said  Dick,  lazily. 

"  I  shall  pull  it." 

"  No :  I  wouldn't,  really." 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"  Simply  because  John  has  taken  your  uncle 
over  to  Milltown." 


Il8  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 


"It  seems  to  me,"  exclaimed  Miss  Milton, 
"  that  you  keep  informed  in  regard  to  the  mo- 
tions of  John,  to  say  the  least." 

"  Oh !  I  know  all  that  is  going  on  in  this 
house,"  said  Dick,  "especially  when  it  is  told  to 
me.  I  met  John  on  the  way  over." 

"  Why  didn't  you  say  so  ?  " 

"  Why  should  I  ? " 

"  Of  course  you  should." 

"  I  don't  see  why." 

"  Don't  anger  me." 

"Miss  Molly,"  said  Dick,  rising,  and  repress- 
ing the  tones  of  his  voice,  "  why  can't  we  be  good 
friends  ? " 

"  Why,  aren't  we  ? "  exclaimed  the  young  lady, 
extending  her  hand,  and  looking  at  him  with 
wonder. 

"  I  seem  to  provoke  you  always,"  said  Dick. 

"  You  do  not  provoke  me,"  said  Miss  Milton, 
rising  and  speaking  very  calmly,  as  she  stood 
looking  at  the  young  man.  "  But  you  know, 
Dick,  that  I  think  you  are  growing  effeminate  in 
your  ways ;  and  I  long  to  see  you  true  to  those 
manly  instincts  which  I  know  you  have,  and 
which  you  conceal  under  your  indolent  habits. 
I  would  have  you  like  Ned  Black,  —  active,  ener- 
getic, with  his  whole  body  trained  to  be  at  the 
beck  of  a  healthy  mind." 

Dick  smiled,  and  held  out  his  hand,  and  said, 


BASE- BALL   MATTERS.  1 19 

"  We  shall  understand  each  other,  some   day," 
and  left  her  abruptly. 

"  What  can  he  mean  ? "  exclaimed  Miss  Milton, 
thoughtfully,  as  she  watched  him  disappear 
down  the  lawn.  "  Dick  is  a  first-rate  fellow  ;  I 
like  him  better  every  day  ;  if  he  only  had  more 
vim  !  Bless  me !  I  never  could  marry  such  a 
fellow.  Marry  ?  '  What  an  idea  for  me  to  be 
talking  ! '  as  Bridget  says." 


120  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A    BIT    OF    RAILLERY. 

evening  after  Miss  Milton  had  enter- 
tained  in  succession  Mr.  Grandhurst, 
Dick  Softy,  and  Ned  Black,  she  burst  into  her 
uncle's  study,  and  impulsively  put  her  arms 
about  the  old  gentleman's  neck.  "  I  shall  never 
leave  you,  uncle,"  said  she. 

"  Why,  my  girl,  what  is  the  matter  ? " 

"  I  shall  never  leave  you,"  sobbed  his  niece. 

"  I  know  you  will  not ;  who  expected  you 
should  ? "  said  the  old  gentleman,  kissing  her 
cheek  with  fond  pride. 

"  I  hate  men." 

"You  do,  you  jade,"  laughed  Mr.  Milton  ; 
"that's  a  strange  remark." 

"  Well,  I  hate  that  Mr.  Grandhurst.  He  de- 
spises every  thing  that  is  American,  and  thinks 
the  country  is  going  to  ruin,  and  affects  the 
European  in  every  thing ;  finds  no  congenial 
atmosphere  in  this  country :  every  thing  is  too 
crude." 


A    BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  121 

"It's  a  mistake  to  bring  an  American  boy  up 
in  Europe,  I've  always  maintained,"  said  her 
uncle.  "They  get  into  ways  which  don't  suit 
here:  they  can't  seem  to  fit  into  things,  that's 
the  whole  amount  of  it.  Dilettants,  dilettants, 

—  that 's  what    I    call  'em  ;    dilly-dallies,    dilly- 
dallies, in  plain  English.     What  has  Mr.  Grand- 
hurst  said  this  'evening  that  has  provoked  you 
especially  ? " 

"  Oh  !  he  dwelt  upon  the  pleasures  of  living 
abroad  ;  and  turned  up  his  nose  at  our  base-ball 
games,  and  lamented  the  crudeness  of  every 
thing.  I  was  tempted  to  call  him  refined  sap, 
and  Dick  Softy  crude  sap." 

"  Has  Dick  been  here  this  evening  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  and  doesn't  that  fellow  provoke  me  ? 
Oh  !  I  shall  go  crazy  with  him,  some  day." 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  Dick  ?  he  is  a  good 
fellow." 

"  He  is  so  dreadful  namby-pamby  ;  and  the 
worst  of  it  is,  that  he  seems  to  take  pride  in 
being  so.  Oh !  I  'm  mad  with  Dick  ;  I  wish  I 
knew  of  something  that  could  rouse  the  fellow, 

—  dynamite,  nitro-glycerine,  or  any  thing." 

"  Love,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  slyly  pinching 
his  niece's  cheek. 

"  Love  !  "  she  echoed  in  disdain.  "  That  fellow 
fall  in  love  !  Never :  it  would  take  too  much  ex- 
ertion for  him.  He  said  that  he  hadn't  been  to 
6 


122  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 


see  me  before,  because  he  hadn't  been  able  to 
catch  a  ride  on  some  cart  coming  this  way." 

"  Oh  !  he  was  joking,"  said  her  uncle. 

"  No,  he  was  not,  uncle :  he  said  it  in  down- 
right earnestness,  and  I  believe  him." 

"  Well,  Dick  is  an  honest  fellow ;  he  '11  come 
out  all  right  some  day  :  there  's  good  blood  in  his 
veins." 

"  It  runs  awful  sluggishly,"  replied  Miss  Mil- 
ton. "  He  don't  manifest  the  least  interest  in  our 
approaching  game.  He  says,  however,  that  he 
has  hired  Bobbie  Snevel  to  wake  him  out  of  his 
hammock  at  the  seventh  innings  ;  for  he  says  that 
two  innings  in  a  ball  game  is  all  he  can  stand. 
Can  you  imagine  such  a  lazy  good-for-nothing  ?  " 

"  Why  don't  you  rouse  the  fellow,  Molly  ? " 
said  Mr.  Milton.  "There's  something  in  the 
chap.  I  saw  Ned  Black  coming  up  the  avenue. 
He  has  been  here  —  has  he  not  — to-night  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  and  it  was  refreshing  to  have  a  caller 
who  was  downright  enthusiastic.  I  do  so  like 
men  with  some  go  to  them  !  Mr.  Black  was 
delightful ;  he  always  is,  you  know.  Don't  you 
think  he  is  a  fine  young  man,  uncle  ? " 

"  Oh  !  very.  I  think  him  a  promising  young 
fellow." 

"  He  says  that  we  are  sure  of  winning  the 
next  match.  We  talked  over  the  matter  of 
colors.  He  says  that  the  Milltown  folks  have 


A    BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  123 

adopted  red.  What  do  you  think,  uncle,  of  our 
taking  blue  ? " 

"Blue  is  a  good  color, — 'true  blue,'  that's 
what  they  always  called  me  on  'change,  Molly." 

"  You  are  true  blue,"  said  his  niece,  kissing 
him,  impetuously.  "  Now,  I  think  blue  will  be  a 
splendid  color.  Mr.  Black  thinks  so  too.  He  's 
got  handsome  blue  eyes,  —  hasn't  he,  uncle  ?  " 

"  I  never  noticed,  girl.  Bless  you  !  I  don't  go 
round  looking  into  young  fellows'  eyes." 

"  Well,  I  don't  either  ;  but  couldn't  help  see- 
ing 'em  when  they  are,  —  they  are  "  — 

"  Looking  right  into  yours  ?  " 

"  No  :  I  '11  tell  you  some  time  ;  but,  honestly 
now,  you  do  like  blue  ?  Well,  I  'm  so  glad.  I  got 
such  a  beautiful  blue  bonnet,  which  will  be  just 
the  thing  for  the  match.  Then,  Mr.  Black  says 
there  is  going  to  be  such  a  crowd  here.  Special 
trains  are  going  to  run  up  from  Worcester  to 
Milltown,  and  there  are  to  be  three  lines  of 
stages  put  on  between  that  place  and  this.  Mr. 
Black  is  sure  that  we  shall  win.  I  have  no  doubt 
of  it,  for  he  is  such  a  splendid  player." 

"  Of  course  we  shall  win,"  replied  her  uncle. 
"  Tom  Milton  never  failed  to  win  in  any  thing  he 
ever  undertook." 

"  I  'm  so  sorry  about  Dick  Softy,"  said  Miss 
Milton,  meditatively.  "  If  he  had  only  a  little  of 
Ned  Black  in  him  !  He  might  have  played  in  this 


124  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

match,  if  he  had  Only  practised.  Mr.  Black  has 
great  contempt  for  him,  I  can  see." 

"  Wake  him  up,  Molly  ;  wake  him  up.  He  is 
a  fair  subject  for  any  girl  to  flirt  with." 

"  He  won't  flirt,  uncle  ;  that  is  the  worst  of  it : 
he  only  cares  for  himself  and  his  own  comforts. 
I  despise  him  :  he  will  be  one  of  those  detestable 
club-men,  —  don't  I  know  him?  He  says  he  is 
going  to  the  city  in  the  winter,  and  intends  to 
join  the  club." 

"  Well,  if  he  does,  there 's  the  end  of  him," 
said  her  uncle  ;  for  he  was  firmly  convinced 
that  club-life  had  ruined  more  men  than  war 
ever  did. 

His  niece  presently  left  him  to  arrange  for 
making  the  blue  badges  for  the  base-ball  club. 
Mr.  Milton  watched  his  niece,  with  great  pride, 
as  she  left  the  room.  "  That 's  one  girl  in  a 
thousand,"  said  he  to  himself.  "  She  is  impetu- 
ous, quick  as  a  flash,  sympathetic,  and  high- 
strung, —  just  the  sort  of  girl  I  should  have  mar- 
ried when  I  was  a  young  man.  Heigh  ho  !  It 
might  have  been  ;  but  I  lead  a  jolly  old  life 
here,  after  all.  Molly  is  as  good  as  a  daughter 
to  me,  and  I  mean  to  be  a  good  father  to  her. 
Bless  her  !  I  Ve  seen  the  evil  of  interfering  with 
a  young  girl's  loves,  and  I  mean  to  let  her  select 
for  herself.  These  young  fellows,  Grandhurst, 
Dick  Softy,  and  Ned  Black,  are  all  unobjection- 


A    BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  125 

able,  as  far  as  I  can  learn.  Black  is  a  gallant 
chap,  and  my  heart  warms  to  him  the  most.  I 
hear  he 's  a  good  fellow,  and  has  first-rate  busi- 
ness ability.  Well,  well !  we  shall  see :  time 
enough  for  Molly  yet." 

On  the  morning  after  the  call  of  the  young 
men,  Miss  Milton  set  out  in  her  basket-wagon, 
accompanied  by  Mr.  Grandhurst,  to  search  for 
rhododendrons,  which  grew  in  abundance  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Dornfield.  She  had  promised 
to  show  him  a  delightful  ride  through  the  woods. 
As  they  drove  through  the  village,  they  met 
Dick  Softy,  who  was  walking  somewhat  heavily 
with  a  cane.  He  had  turned  his  ankle  slightly 
in  his  secret  gymnastics. 

"Did  you  fall  out  of  your  hammock?"  asked 
Miss  Milton,  with  an  intense  air  of  sympathy, 
reining  in  her  horse. 

"  Ye-es,  yes,"  drawled  the  young  man  ;  "  fear- 
ful hammock  accident  in  Dornfield." 

"  Really,  now,  are  you  hurt  ?  you  look  pale  ; 
let  me  carry  you  home." 

"  All  right,"  said  Dick  :  "  I  never  refuse  a 
ride."  And,  thus  saying,  he  took  the  footman's 
seat  behind.  Miss  Milton  started  up  her  horse 
vigorously,  and  they  went  bowling  down  the 
street. 

"  Miss  Milton  has  evidently  forgotten  that  I 
live  in  Dornfield,"  said  Dick.  "  We  are  appar- 


126  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

ently  bound  now  either  for  the  neighboring 
village  of  four  corners,  or  Liverpool,  London, 
and  Paris." 

"  Don't  be  afraid  ;  I  '11  see  that  you  get  home," 
said  the  young  lady. 

"This  is  jolly,"  said  Dick,  reclining*  at  his 
ease.  "  I  'm  glad  I  met  you." 

"  Ha,  ha !  seems  to  have  been  a  fortunate 
meeting,"  smiled  Grandhurst,  who  ill  relished 
the  impending  interruption  of  his  t£te-a-tete  with 
Miss  Milton. 

"  Wasn't  it  ?  "  repeated  Dick.  "  Miss  Molly, 
there  is  a  big  stone  there  in  the  road." 

"  Where  ?  "  asked  Miss  Milton. 

"Right  ahead." 

"  Is  that  it  ? "  she  asked,  as  she  drove  over  a 
big  boulder. 

"  Ya-as,"  replied  Dick :  "that  felt  like  it." 

"  Do  you  like  to  drive,  Mr.  Grandhurst  ?  "  she 
asked. 

"  Not  particularly." 

"  Don't  you  ever  drive  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes  !  sometimes." 

"Won't  you  drive  now  ?    I  feel  a  little  tired." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Grandhurst,  taking  the  reins. 
The  road  at  this  point  was  very  rough  ;  and  the 
horse,  feeling  a  new  hand  at  the  reins,  quickened 
his  pace.  Grandhurst  held  a  tight  rein,  with 
both  elbows  out.  They  tore  down  the  rocky 


A   BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  I2/ 

road.  The  horse  was  evidently  beyond  Grand- 
hurst's  control. 

"  I  think  I  will  take  the  reins  again,"  said 
Miss  Milton,  grasping  them  from  her  companion's 
hand  just  in  time  to  avert  disaster. 

"  I  wouldn't,"  said  Dick.  "  You  drive  so  fear- 
fully slow  :  this  pace  is  glorious." 

Miss  Milton  said  nothing ;  but,  firmly  com- 
pressing her  lips,  set  about  controlling  the  horse. 
In  a  few  moments  they  were  proceeding  at  a 
slow  trot  down  a  fine  avenue,  which  led  through 
a  wood. 

"  This  horse  is  accustomed  to  my  way  of  driv- 
ing," said  she,  apologetically. 

"  He  evidently  was  restive  under  my  reins," 
said  Grandhurst,  who  wished  himself  well  out  of 
this  excursion.  The  road  which  Miss  Milton  took 
was  completely  arched  over  by  the  light  green 
of  the  early  summer  foliage.  The  road  was  just 
wide  enough  for  the  basket-wagon.  The  sun- 
light mottled  the  back  of  the  horse,  and  played 
over  the  figures  of  the  occupants  of  the  carriage. 
The  wood-thrush  whistled  sweetly  in  the  depth 
of  the  green-wood.  A  robin  flew  across  the  road, 
fearful  of  the  fate  of  its  newly  fledged  offspring, 
which  winged  heavily  after  the  mother.  A  par- 
tridge whirred  suddenly  at  their  right  hand. 

"  Isn't  this  glorious  ? "  cried  Miss  Milton,  with 
intense  enthusiasm. 


128  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Fine  wood,"  remarked  Grandhurst,  in  a 
moderate  way ;  "  reminds  me  of  a  ride  in  the 
Bois  du  Boulogne." 

"  It 's  ever  so  much  finer  than  any  thing  in 
Europe,"  insisted  Miss  Milton.  "  The  woods 
there  haven't  our  splendid  forest  odor."  (Dick 
sniffed  loudly  from  behind.)  "  Look  at  that 
graceful  birch  standing  against  the  dark  green 
of  the  pine.  Where  in  Europe  can  you  see  such 
a  graceful  combination  ?  See  that  glorious 
woodbine  winding  itself  about  that  young  elm, 
which  is  striving  to  overtop  the  forest  of  young 
trees  about  it.  In  the  fall,  it  will  look  like  a 
pillar  of  flame.  What's  the  English  ivy  to  the 
American  woodbine  ?  See  the  variety  of  flowers, 
even  in  this  sheltered  wood.  —  Oh  my  !  " 

With  a  sudden  exclamation,  she  stopped  the 
horse,  flung  the  reins  to  Grandhurst,  and  jumped 
out  of  the  wagon. 

"See  a  snake?"  drawled  Dick,  brandishing 
his  cane,  and  preparing  to  descend. 

"  Cypripedium  !  "  cried  Miss  Milton,  holding 
up  a  pink,  balloon-like  flower.  "  Lady's-slippers, 
see  !  Here  's  another !  and  another !  I  did  not 
know  they  were  to  be  found  in  this  wood." 

Grandhurst  could  not  help  admiring  the  hand- 
some young  girl,  as,  with  hat  half  off  her  head, 
she  rushed  from  spot  to  spot,  picking  the  showy 
orchids. 


A   BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  129 

"There  they  sit!"  murmured  Miss  Milton  to 
herself,  glancing  at  her  companions.  "  Two 
noodles.  Men  are  too  funny  for  any  thing. 
They  haven't  a  particle  of  enthusiasm.  Mr. 
Grandhurst  is  so  refined,  and  so  well  dressed  ! 
And  Dick  is  so  nonchalant!  I  should  like  to 
see  him  disturbed,  just  for  once.  I  believe  I'll 
try  to  arouse  them.  '  Help !  help ! ' '  she 
shrieked,  and  sprang  back,  pointing  tragically  at 
the  ground. 

Both  young  men  sprang  out  of  the  wagon,  and 
rushed  into  the  wood. 

"  Don't  leave  the  horse,  don't  leave  the  horse  ! " 
cried  Miss  Milton,  in  an  agitated  manner. 

Grandhurst  stopped,  and  went  back  to  the 
side  of  tKe  animal  ;  while  Dick  bounded  to  Miss 
Milton's  side,  apparently  forgetting  his  lameness. 

"  Thought  you  were  lame,  Dick  ? "  said  she, 
mischievously,  as  he  approached. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  cried  the  latter. 

"  It  was  a  great,  big,  —  enormous  green 
snake." 

"  Ten  feet  long,  I  suppose," drawled  Dick, "and 
big  in  proportion." 

"  He  went  right  in  there,"  said  Miss  Milton, 
pointing  under  a  log.  "  Look  at  Mr.  Grandhurst 
standing  there  beside  old  Polly.  He  evidently 
thought  she  was  of  more  consequence  than  I 
was." 

6*  i 


130  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Course  he  did,"  replied  Dick  :  "  we  are  three 
miles  from  home.  Oh  my !  how  you  made 
my  heart  beat !  I  believe  my  foot  is  worse 
too." 

"  Too  bad  ! "  exclaimed  the  young  lady.  "  Do 
take  my  arm.  I  '11  help  you  to  the  carriage." 

"  I  can't  make  that  girl  out,"  said  Grandhurst, 
as  he  saw  her  approach  with  Dick  on  her  arm. 
"  She  is  refined ;  and  yet  she  isn't.  I  shall 
begin  to  believe  that  she  is  a  perfect  hoyden." 

Miss  Milton  explained  to  Grandhurst,  with  an 
air  of  hauteur,  that  it  was  a  snake"  ;  and  that  she 
had  a  perfect  horror  of  reptiles.  And,  taking  the 
reins,  they  all  got  into  the  carriage,  and  drove 
on.  Presently,  the  road  passed  through  a  pine- 
wood.  The  road  was  carpeted  with  th'e  brown, 
odorous,  pine  spangles  ;  and  it  seemed  as  if  they 
were  driving  over  a  carpet,  so  smoothly  did  the 
carriage  wheels  pass  over  the  soft  covering  of 
the  ground.  Here  and  there,  the  prevailing 
brown  color  of  the  road  was  dappled  with  the 
bright  gold  of  sunlight. 

"This  reminds  me  of  a  cathedral,"  said 
Grandhurst,  outlining  the  picture  in  the  air  with 
his  cane. 

"It's  a  great  deal  finer  than  any  old,  musty 
cathedral,"  said  Miss  Milton.  "You  can  find 
such  woods  as  these  only  in  Dornfield.  Oh, 
how  I  love  them  !  " 


A   BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  131 

" '  I  love  the  cats, 
I  love  the  rats, 
I  love  the  mice, 
In  my  dear  home  at  Rye. 
There  is  no  place  so  nice 
As  my  dear  home  at  Rye,' "  — 

sang  Dick. 

"  These  woods  are  unmistakably  fine,"  said 
Grandhurst.  "  I  doubt,  however,  if  an  artist 
could  find  them  available  for  a  picture.  This 
scene  suggests  an  American  forest  clearing. 
One  almost  expects  to  see  a  paper  collar  lying 
round  here,  somewhere." 

"  I  see  that  you  will  have  to  go  back  to 
Europe  to  exist,"  remarked  Miss  Milton,  quick- 
ening the  pace  of  her  horse. 

"  There  are  powerful  attractions  in  America 
too,"  said  Grandhurst,  significantly. 

"  How  can  there  be  ? "  asked  Miss  Milton, 
turning  her  innocent  eyes  upon  the  speaker. 

Grandhurst  adjusted  his  eye-glasses,  and 
looked  up  at  the  branches  overhead.  He  was 
nettled.  "  Give  me  a  woman  of  tact,"  said  he 
to  himself.  "  This  girl  is  a  perfect  furnace  of 
impulses  and  unregulated  enthusiasms." 

At  length  the  party  emerged  from  the  pines 
into  an  open  lot. 

"  There  are  the  rhododendrons  !  "  exclaimed 
Miss  Milton,  pointing  at  some  rising  ground 


132  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

near  a  brook.     "  Come,  Dick :  we  will  get  Mr. 
Grandhurst  to  hold  the  horse." 

Grandhurst  wondered  whether  there  was  any 
irony  in  her  remark.  He  began  to  feel  that  he 
should  have  left  the  horse  to  her  fate,  on  the 
previous  occasion,  when  Miss  Milton  saw  the 
snake.  However,  he  sat  in  the  wagon  holding 
the  reins,  while  Miss  Milton  and  Dick  proceeded 
into  the  open  lot.  He  began  to  feel  decidedly 
nettled.  This  imperious  young  beauty  seemed 
to  be  continually  putting  him  into  unpleasant 
situations.  "  It  seems  rather  spooney  to  sit  here 
watching  this  old  nag,"  said  he  to  himself  ;  "  but 
what  am  I  to  do  ? "  Grandhurst  felt  thoroughly 
at  home  in  the  formal  circles  in  which  he  had 
moved  abroad.  No  one  was  more  observant 
of  etiquette.  In  company  with  this  American 
girl,  however,  he  felt  utterly  at  a  loss.  Mean- 
while, Miss  Milton  and  her  companion  had 
reached  the  rhododendrons,  and  were  busily  occu- 
pied in  gathering  them.  They  were  laughing 
merrily,  and  apparently  having  a  great  romp. 
Grandhurst  saw  Dick  go  down  to  the  brook,  and 
fill  his  drinking-cup,  and  present  it  to  Miss  Milton. 
They  then,  apparently,  had  a  slight  altercation, 
and  the  young  lady  threatened  to  throw  the  con- 
tents of  the  cup  into  the  young  man's  face.  He 
caught  her  hand,  and  the  two  swung  round, 
each  evidently  desirous  of  pouring  the  water 


A    BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  133 

upon  the  other.  They  shrieked  with  laughter. 
Finally,  Miss  Milton  gained  the  cup  ;  and  Dick 
fled,  closely  pursued  by  her.  Presently,  he 
turned  in  an  imploring  manner,  and  received 
the  water  directly  in  his-face.  Then  Miss  Milton 
was  evidently  moved  with  compassion  ;  and  the 
two  proceeded  again  to  gather  flowers. 

"  Shouldn't  you  think,  Dick,  that  Mr.  Grand- 
hurst  would  leave  that  wagon,  and  join  us?" 
said  Miss  Milton. 

"  No,  I  shouldn't.  And  have  water  poured 
down  his  neck  ? " 

"  Oh !  I  should  never  dare  to  do  that.  I 
should  be  awful  proper  with  him." 

"  Why  aren't  you  proper  with  me,  then  ? " 

"  Oh !  we  are  old  friends,  Dick,"  said  she, 
extending  her  hand. 

Dick  took  it,  and  gently  kissed  it 

Miss  Milton  blushed  quickly.  "  Come,  Dick  ; 
we  've  got  enough  rhodos.  Let 's  carry  them  to 
the  carriage." 

"  Aren't  these  glorious,  Mr.  Grandhurst  ? " 
said  she.  "What  do  you  think  of  American 
wild-flowers  ? " 

"  You  seem  to  forget  I  'm  an  American," 
remarked  the  latter,  smiling  grimly. 

"  Oh  !  so  you  are.  You  are  so  Europeanized, 
I  forget.  Now,  what  are  we  going  to  do  with 
all  these  flowers  ?  We  can't  carry  them  all." 


134  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"  We  can  dispose  of  one  bunch,  any  way," 
said  Dick,  fixing  a  small  bush  on  the  horse's 
head-gear. 

"  That 's  a  jolly  idea,"  cried  Miss  Milton. 
"  Let  us  trim  out  the  old  nag  with  all  we  can't 
carry  in  the  wagon." 

Dick  and  she,  accordingly,  covered  the  horse 
with  the  pink  blossoms,  until  she  was  almost 
hidden.  Every  loop-hole  in  the  harness  had  its 
spray. 

"  This  is  great  fun,  isn't  it,  Mr.  Grandhurst  ? " 
said  Miss  Milton,  surveying  the  horse  from  a 
little  distance.  "  Oh !  she  looks  too  funny  for 
any  thing.  Won't  we  cut  a  figure,  driving 
through  the  village  ?  I  don't  care."  Thus  say- 
ing, she  took  her  seat  in  the  wagon,  and  they 
proceeded  homeward.  At  the  entrance  to  the 
village,  they  met  the  Silvers  driving  out. 
Grandhurst  reddened.  He  was  conscious  that 
he  was  making  himself  ridiculous ;  but  this 
should  be  the  last  time.  He  was  engaged  for 
a  sketching  excursion  with  the  Silvers,  on  the 
following  day,  and  proposed  to  give  them  an 
amusing  account  of  his  morning's  experience. 
Mrs.  Silver  smiled  sweetly ;  and  Mr.  Silver 
bowed,  and  waved  his  hand  courteously.  Their 
horse,  taken  with  surprise,  looked  at  the  be- 
decked animal  of  Miss  Milton,  and  started  sud- 
denly to  one  side,  and  went  off  at  a  smart  pace, 
much  to  the  relief  of  Grandhurst. 


A    BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  135 

On  the  following  morning,  he  started  with 
the  Silvers  on  their  excursion.  They  were  going 
to  Crystal  Lake  ;  and  had,  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  Miss  Milton,  hired  Bobbie  Snevel  to  be 
their  guide,  and  to  assist  them  with  the  boat  in 
which  they  proposed  to  cross  the  lake.  The 
party  consisted  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Silver,  their 
niece,  Miss  Gould,  of  Boston,  Grandhurst,  and 
Bobbie.  The  latter  was  very  unwilling  to 
accompany  the  party,  for  there  was  a  practice- 
game  of  the  Milltown  nine  that  morning  with  a 
club  from  a  neighboring  town ;  but  he  had  been 
prevailed  upon  by  Miss  Milton.  Grandhurst 
found  Miss  Gould  an  exceedingly  cultivated 
young  lady.  She  had  read  much,  and  was  even 
an  accomplished  Greek  scholar.  Mrs.  Silver 
spoke  very  highly  of  her  talents  as  an  amateur 
in  art.  Of  her  ability  in  this  direction  Grand- 
hurst waited  for  an  opportunity  to  judge..  She 
certainly  conversed  very  well.  She  was  a  pale- 
faced  young  lady,  with  a  very  intellectual  face, 
and  gave  one  the  impression  that  she  was  quite 
delicate.  On  the  way  to  the  pond,  Grandhurst 
gave  an  account  of  his  ride  after  rhododendrons. 
His  companions  were  very  much  amused. 

"  It  was  all  just  like  Molly  Milton,"  said  Mrs. 
Silver.  "  It  is  a  pity  her  uncle  doesn't  take  her 
abroad.  She  is  growing  up  in  this  country  town 
in  a  very  wild  manner." 


136  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"  She  is  so  intensely  patriotic,  —  by  Jove  ! "  — 
said  Grandhurst,  "  that  I  shall  not  dare  to  men- 
tion Europe  to  her  in  the  future." 

"Well,  she  gets  that  from  her  uncle,"  said 
Mr.  Silver,  in  his  slow,  measured  way.  "  It 's 
natural  enough.  He  has  been  a  fortunate  man, 
financially ;  but  he  is  narrow  in  his  intellectual 
sympathies.  Imagine  a  man  of  his  age  taking 
such  an  interest  in  these  base-ball  matters." 

"  Miss  Milton  is  a  girl  of  good  natural  abili- 
ties," remarked  Miss  Gould.  "  We  went  to  school 
together." 

Bobbie  Snevel,  who  was  in  front  with  the 
driver,  looked  back  at  Miss  Gould,  with  a  pleased 
look. 

"  Sh  !  sh  !  "  said  Mrs.  Silver,  touching  her  lips, 
significantly.  "  Bobbie  Snevel,"  she  whispered 
to  the  group,  "is  a  stanch  adherent  of  Miss 
Milton.  You  must  not  speak  so  freely." 

"  That 's  another  queer  freak  of  the  girl/'  said 
Mr.  Silver.  "The  idea  of  taking  up  that  little 
chap ! " 

When,  under  the  leadership  of  Bobbie,  the 
party  struck  into  the  wood  which  skirted  the 
pond,  Grandhurst  accompanied  Miss  Gould.  He 
found  her  extremely  intelligent.  He  had  been 
longing  for  many  days  for  intellectual  stimulus, 
and  was  soon  deeply  engaged  in  a  discussion  with 
her  on  the  degree  of  reality  one  should  use  in 


A    BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  137 

sketching  from  nature.  Meanwhile  Bobbie  went 
on,  accompanied  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Silver.  The 
latter  examined  all  the  plants  on  the  way.  As 
Bobbie  Snevel  afterwards  told  Miss  Milton,  "  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Silver  were  queer  folk  :  they  gave  the 
most  lockjaw  names  to  jack-in-the-pulpits,  wake- 
robins,  and  lady's-slippers.  Then,  they  were  so 
awful  afraid  of  wetting  their  feet !  Their  voices 
were  so  high  they  skeert  all  the  partridges  off 
their  nests." 

"My  little  man,"  said  Mr.  Silver  to 'Bobbie, 
during  a  pause  while  they  waited  for  Grand- 
hurst  and  Miss  Gould  to  join  them,  "  I  hear  you 
are  very  fond  of  base  ball." 

"  Some,"  replied  Bobbie,  shaking  his  head  en- 
thusiastically. 

"  Do  you  play  much  ? "  asked  Mrs.  Silver, 
taking  off  her  sundown  and  fanning  herself 
with  it. 

"  A  little.  I  've  got  so  I  can  hold  a  pretty  hot 
ball." 

"You  can,  eh?"  said  Mr.  Silver.  "What  do 
you  think  of  the  chances  of  our  winning  the  next 
game  ? " 

"  Fust-rate.  There  's  no  beating  a  nine  that 
has  got  Ned  Black  for  catcher.  Then,  he  is  an 
awful  good  batter  !  Did  you  see  him  make  that 
drive  through  centre-field  in  our  last  game  ? " 

"  No,"  ejaculated  Mr.  Silver.    "  '  Drive/  hey  ? " 


138  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Yes  ;  and  Bill  Hayes  muffed  it,  and  Clapp 
stole  third  on  it." 

"  '  Drive,'  '  muffed,'  and  '  stole  third ' ! "  re- 
peated Mr.  Silver. 

"  Grandhurst,  do  you  understand  this  new  lan- 
guage of  base  ball  ?  "  he  said  to  the  latter,  who  at 
that  moment  came  up. 

"  I  don't  pretend  to,"  said  Grandhurst,  super- 
ciliously. 

"  It 's  getting  beyond  me,"  said  Mr.  Silver. 

"  Well,  here  we  are  at  the  lake,"  said  Mrs.  Sil- 
ver. "  Pretty,  isn't  it  ?  " 

"  Perfectly  lovely  !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Gould. 
"  What  a  lovely  sketch  it  would  make  just  from 
this  spot !  "  and,  thus  saying,  she  formed  a  hollow 
tube  with  her  hand,  and  gazed  at  the  landscape. 

"  Why  don't  you  make  a  sketch  of  it,  Clara  ?  " 
said  Mrs.  Silver.  "  It  won't  take  you  long.  Mr. 
Silver  and  I  will  get  into  the  boat,  and  go  over 
to  the  other  side  of  the  lake,  and  select  a  spot  for 
our  lunch.  Bobbie  can  row  the  boat  back  for 
you." 

"  I  don't  want  to  detain  any  one,"  said  Miss 
Gould,  unpacking  her  sketching  materials,  and 
setting  up  an  umbrella. 

"  I  should  only  be  too  happy  to  remain  with 
you,"  said  Grandhurst. 

Miss  Gould  protested ;  but  finally  assented  to 
his  remaining. 


A   BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  139 

"  You  could  walk  round  the  borders  of  the 
lake,  and  through  that  beautiful  forest-walk,  and 
join  us  at  the  sand-beach,"  said  Mrs.  Silver. 

"'Fraid  they'd  get  lost,"  said  Bobbie,  who  sat 
in  the  boat,  with  the  oars  in  position. 

"'Lost'!"  repeated  Grandhurst,  with  scorn. 
"  Yes,  Mrs.  Silver,  we  will  join  you  at  the  sand- 
beach.  I  will  escort  Miss  Gould  through  the 
woods,  if  she  will  permit  me." 

"I  shall  be  delighted,"  replied  Miss  Gould, 
who  was  already  deeply  absorbed  in  a  charcoal 
sketch. 

"  Be  they  going  ?  "  asked  Bobbie,  as  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Silver  got  into  the  boat. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Mrs.  Silver :  "  they  will  come 
to  us  by  and  by,  through  the  woods." 

Bobbie  shook  his  head  gravely,  as  if  he  saw 
danger  ahead  ;  but  he  was  anxious  to  show  his 
muscular  power  in  rowing,  and  exerted  himself 
to  send  the  old  boat  surging  over  the  quiet  bo- 
som of  the  lake. 

While  the  Silvers  were  rapidly  receding, 
Grandhurst  stretched  himself  on  the  grass,  be- 
side Miss  Gould. 

"  There  are  some  fine  values  in  the  view  you 
have  taken,"  he  remarked. 

"  Yes,  and  the  ripple  of  the  boat  makes  a  fine 
accentuation.  I  shall  remember  to  put  it  in." 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  there  is  too  much  accent- 


140  THE   ORE  A  T  MA  TCH. 

uation  in  an  American  landscape,"  said  Grand- 
hurst.  "  There  is  such  a  restless  cropping  out  of 
all  sorts  of  foliage,  —  such  a  variegated  garb  of 
green.  Every  tree  seems  to  thrust  itself  upon 
you,  and  say,  '  I  'm  a  free  American  citizen,  and 
have  a  perfect  right  to  sparkle  all  over  and  cut  a 
dash  in  the  sunlight,  even  if  I  am  out  of  place.' " 

"That  is  what  I  feel,  too,"  said  Miss  Gould, 
looking  at  her  sketch  sideways.  "  It  seems  to 
me  that  one  must  suppress  much,  and  continu- 
ally refine  every  thing." 

"This  young  lady,"  said  Grandhurst  to  him- 
self, looking  at  his  companion  beneath  the  rim 
of  his  straw  hat,  which  rested  on  his  nose,  "  is 
certainly  a  great  contrast  to  Miss  Milton,  —  an 
agreeable  contrast,  I  should  say.  Yet  she  has 
not  the  personal  charms  of  that  hoydenish  young 
person.  She  is  of  an  interesting  type :  I  must 
study  her." 

"  I  find  the  Silvers  very  interesting,"  said 
Grandhurst. 

"  They  are,  very.  Mrs.  Silver  is  too  charming 
for  any  thing." 

"  Mr.  Silver  is  out  of  his  element  in  America," 
said  Grandhurst.  "  Every  thing  shocks  him  in 
this  country  of  great  possibilities  and  small  reali- 
zations. I  should  not  wonder  if  he  went  abroad 
to  live." 

"  Yes,  he  is  out  of  his  element.     I  do  hope 


A   BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  141 

America  will  become  refined  some  day.  Why 
should  it  not  ?  Goethe  says,  in  '  Wilhelm  Mei- 
ster,'  that  '  practical  activities  are  not  so  incom- 
patible with  a  certain  measure  of  intellectual 
culture  as  some  suppose.'  " 

"  Women  are  better  off,  in  an  intellectual  way, 
in  America  than  men,"  said  Grandhurst  ;  — 
"  that  is,  a  certain  class  of  women." 

"  Oh,  jio  !  I  can't  believe  it." 

"  They  do  not  receive  those  rude  shocks  to 
their  sensibilities  which  men  who  have  been 
brought  up  in  Europe  receive  when  they  return 
to  America.  Women  are  secluded,  to  a  certain 
extent.  Men  are  forced  into  rude  contact  with 
the  shoulder-hitters  of  the  mart." 

While  this  conversation  went  on,  Miss  Gould 
was  busily  occupied  with  her  sketch.  Her  thin, 
nervous  hand  rubbed  the  charcoal  hither  and 
thither.  Her  delicate  frame  seemed  to  thrill 
to  its  extremities  with  artistic  feeling.  The 
two  conversed  on  the  effect  of  the  drama  as 
a  means  of  elevating  the  tone  of  morals  in 
America,  on  the  progress  of  Spencerian  philoso- 
phy, and  on  the  last  article  in  the  "  Fort- 
nightly." Grandhurst  began  to  think  that  he 
was  enjoying  himself.  If  Miss  Gould  did  not  go 
very  deeply  into  the  intellectual  subjects  which 
they  discussed,  he  only  noticed  it  sufficiently  to 
recall  the  fact  at  a  subsequent  period.  She 


142  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

excited  his  intellectual  faculties  :  he  felt  that  he 
was  breathing  a  rarefied  atmosphere.  In  his 
psychological  analysis  of  his  companion,  he  did 
not,  however,  fail  to  notice  the  extreme  delicacy 
of  physique  of  this  young  American  girl :  and 
wondered  whether  he  should  be  happier  in  the 
future  with  a  woman  like  Miss  Milton,  who  had  a 
constitution  which  betokened  strength,  and  free- 
dom from  nervous  ailments  ;  or  with  an  intel- 
lectual girl  like  his  companion,  who  evidently 
had  more  mind  than  body.  At  length,  the 
sketch  was  finished,  and  they  set  out  through 
the  woods  to  meet  the  Silvers.  At  first,  the 
path  was  a  clear  one.  It  led  down  an  open  field 
to  an  old  mill.  The  outlet  of  the  pond  had  been 
dammed  up  at  this  point.  The  water  escaped 
over  the  dam  in  several  places,  forming  graceful 
cascades.  The  rocky  bed  of  the  stream  below 
the  dam  was  filled  with  logs  of  timber.  Grand- 
hurst  helped  his  companion  over  the  pools  of 
water,  between  the  logs,  and  then  they  mounted 
the  opposite  bank,  and  went  through  an  opening 
in  the  wood.  As  they  walked  along,  they  con- 
tinued their  discussions  on  philosophical  sub- 
jects. Grandhurst  had  already  begun  to  feel  a 
trifle  bored.  The  atmosphere  he  was  in  was 
getting  a  little  too  rarefied.  This  young  Ameri- 
can girl  was  quite  interesting  for  a  time  ;  but 
he  was  not  of  a  very  vigorous  constitution,  and 


A    BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  143 

he  began  to  feel  mentally,  as  well  as  physically, 
tired.  He  was  not  sure  but  he  should  find 
Miss  Milton  quite  refreshing  when  he  got  home. 
Miss  Gould  was  in  raptures  over  every  singular 
specimen  of  vegetation  which  they  met ;  and 
Grandhurst  was  speedily  laden  with  fungi,  ferns, 
and  distorted  branches  with  anomalous  leaves.' 
They  had  to  rest  quite  frequently ;  and  it 
seemed  to  Grandhurst,  that  Miss  Gould's  intel- 
lectual vigor  grew  intenser  with  the  decrease 
of  her  physical  powers  of  endurance.  The  path 
which  they  had  taken  ceased  at  length,  at  a 
little  brook,  and  an  impenetrable  wall  of  alders 
and  young  trees  shut  out  their  advance.  After 
much  discussion,  it  was  decided  to  strike  at  once 
in  the  direction  of  the  pond,  and  signal  to  the 
Silvers  to  send  Bobbie  with  the  boat.  Accord- 
ingly they  proceeded  in  what  they  considered 
to  be  the  direction  of  the  pond.  The  way  grew 
thicker  and  thicker  with  underbrush.  Grand- 
hurst was  speedily  divested  of  his  burden 
of  fungi.  This  was  the  only  thing  that  con- 
soled him ;  for  he  began  to  fear  that  they 
were  really  lost.  Nothing  could  be  seen  on  all 
sides  but  an  impenetrable  swamp.  Grandhurst 
began  to  have  fears  of  the  endurance  of  his 
companion.  He  looked  at  her  continually  from 
the  corners  of  his  eyes.  He  thought  he  had 
never  seen  a  more  dowdy-looking  girl.  The 


144  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

feather  had  been  brushed  from  her  hat ;  she 
had  caught  up  her  dress,  and  it  hung  in  per- 
fectly straight  folds  from  her  waist.  Her  hair 
had  fallen  in  a  stringy  mass  down  her  back ; 
and  Grandhurst  caught  a  glimpse  of  what  she 
was  to  be  in  five  years,  —  a  typical,  strong- 
minded,  weak-nerved,  American  woman.  At 
that  moment,  the  remembrance  of  the  strong 
physique  and  the  joyous  nature  of  Miss  Milton 
made  a  more  refreshing  picture  than  even  a 
glimpse  of  the  much-desired  lake  would  have 
afforded.  They  now  struggled  on  in  absolute 
silence.  Many  brilliant  fungi  were  passed,  with 
relief  by  Grandhurst,  and  with  a  deep  sigh  by 
his  companion.  They  were  getting  deeper  and 
deeper  into  the  woods.  Grandhurst,  smothering 
his  pride,  at  length  concluded  to  halloo,  in  the 
hopes  of  bringing  the  sturdy  young  Snevel  to 
their  assistance.  He  received  no  answer  to  his 
repeated  attempts.  Finally,  they  both  sat  down, 
completely  exhausted. 

"We  are  in  an  infernal  American  morass," 
said  Grandhurst,  grimly. 

"  I  have  never  been  in  a  situation  similar  to 
this  before,"  said  his  companion,  feebly. 

"  You  feel  much  exhausted  ? "  said  Grandhurst, 
quickly  turning  to  gaze  at  his  companion,  for 
her  voice  had 'the  tone  of  one  who  was  fainting. 

"  Physically,  yes,"  replied  Miss  Gould ;  "  but 


A    BIT  OF  RAILLERY.  145 

my  intellect  seems  to,  gain  renewed  vigor.  I 
wonder  how  the  mind  and  the  body  are  con- 
nected. What  a  mysterious  band  must  unite 
them  !  " 

"  Very,  very  ;  but,  Miss  Gould,  really  we  must 
make  another  attempt  to  get  to  the  lake.  The 
sun  is  going  down,  and  we  have  been  many 
hours  wandering  about." 

His  companion,  after  an  effort,  arose,  and  they 
took  a  new  departure.  At  the  end  of  an  hour, 
they  thought  they  saw  the  glimmer  of  water :  it 
proved  to  be  the  lake.  Finally  they  emerged 
from  the  tangled  wood,  and  stood  upon  its 
border.  It  was  at  sunset,  and  the  lake  was  like 
a  mirror.  Each  wooded  point  was  perfectly 
reflected  in  the  water.  The  western  sky  was  a 
mass  of  pink  and  gold  clouds.  The  two  un- 
fortunates were  too  tired  to  enjoy  the  sight. 
Grandhurst  immediately  hallooed.  A  kingfisher 
uttered  a  loud  cry,  and  flew,  from  his  high  perch 
on  a  decayed  tree,  over  the  lake,  dropping  a 
small  fish  which  he  had  just  captured. 

"  It  isn't  possible  that  the  Silvers  have  gone 
home  ?  "  said  Grandhurst,  at  length. 

"  They  may  have  thought  that  we  chose  to 
go  home,  from  sudden  illness,"  replied  Miss 
Gould,  reclining  upon  the  shore. 

Grandhurst  looked  up  and  down  the  shores 
of  the  lake.  They  were  closely  wooded  on  all 
J 


146  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

sides.  There  was  no  way  to  get  home,  appar- 
ently :  one  could  not  walk  along  the  shore,  for 
the  trees  grew  to  the  very  water's  edge.  Pres- 
ently they  heard  a  loud  shout,  and  Bobbie  Snevel 
rowed  round  a  neighboring  point. 

"  Gracious  !  where  have  you  been  ?  "  he  ex- 
claimed, as  he  caught  sight  of  the  party.  "  The 
folks  thought  you  had  gone  home  ;  and  then, 
when  we  got  home,  they  couldn't  find  you,  and 
thought  something  awful  had  happened." 

"  We  lost  our  way,"  said  Grandhurst.  "  Come, 
hurry  up ;  this  young  lady  must  be  taken  home 
as  speedily  as  possible," 

"  I  've  been  hurrying  for  the  last  two  hours," 
said  Bobbie,  indignantly. 

Grandhurst,  thoroughly  nettled,  did  not  reply, 
but  assisted  Miss  Gould  into  the  boat.  The 
latter's  nervous  endurance  had  completely  given 
way  in  a  fit  of  hysterics. 

"  He  haint  no  gret,"  said  Bobbie,  to  Miss 
Milton,  speaking  of  Grandhurst.  "  He 's  been 
in  furrin  parts  ;  but  he  gits  lost  in  a  wood, 
don't  know  how  to  row,  and  don't  know  any 
thing  about  base  ball.  I  didn't  let  on,  any  way, 
where  the  pogonias  grew." 


DIREFUL   PREPARATIONS.  147 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

DIREFUL    PREPARATIONS. 

had  been  influenced  in  his  last  inter- 
view  with  Miss  Milton  by  a  multitude  of 
conflicting  feelings.  He  had  always  known,  that, 
notwithstanding  her  constant  raillery,  she  liked 
him.  Before  her  acquaintance  with  his  old 
enemy,  Ned  Black,  he  had  been  content  to  live 
his  own  indolent  life,  and  enjoy  Miss  Molly's 
society  whenever  he  felt  like  it ;  but  now  there 
was  a  change.  He  was  not  jealous;  oh,  no  !  He 
was  not  so  silly  as  to  fall  in  love,  before  he  had 
gained  a  profession  ;  but  he  didn't  like  to  see 
Miss  Milton  so  intimate  with  his  sworn  enemy. 
At  last  it  had  come  to  this,  —  Ned  Black,  with  his 
air  of  superiority,  was  about  to  elbow  him  out  of 
the  Milton  mansion.  Miss  Milton,  too,  seemed 
to  have  been  entirely  gained  over  —  fascinated, 
bewitched  —  by  Black.  She  held  him  up  as  an 
example  to  him  !  This  thought  rankled  in  his 
breast.  He  went  out  of  his  path,  as  he  walked 
homeward,  to  hit  with  his  cane  the  heads  of  the 


148  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

obnoxious  weeds,  which  annoyed  him  by  their 
uppishness.  He  stopped  frequently,  and  asked 
himself  what  had  changed  him  so.  Had  he  been 
forced  out  of  his  excessive  indolence  and  blas<* 
manner  by  the  shafts  of  this  young  lady,  who 
knew  no  more  about  the  character  of  young  men 
and  their  different  pursuits  than  the  veriest 
baby  ?  Had  he  taken  up  exercise,  to  be  able 
some  day  to  whip  his  old  enemy  ?  No :  he 
despised  such  a  thought  ;  he  was  to  manifest 
his  superiority  by  a  higher  stand  in  the  world, 
which  his  profession  would  give  him.  Had  he 
taken  the  fever  of  base  ball  ?  This  could  not  be, 
for  he  still  despised  the  game,  on  account  of 
Black.  He  would  not  acknowledge  that  it  was 
jealousy,  nor  envy,  nor  love  :  it  was  an  uprising 
of  the  pugnacious  instinct  within  him.  He 
intended  to  whip  Black,  or  die  in  the  attempt. 
To  this  end,  all  his  training  was  directed.  His 
studies  were  given  up,  and  he  lived  the  life  of 
an  athlete.  We  have  described  his  improvised 
gymnasium.  He  consulted  his  anatomical  charts 
daily,  to  observe  the  development  of  certain 
muscles ;  and  he  devised  special  exercises  to 
bring  them  out.  His  medical  studies  —  for  he 
was  going  to  be  a  doctor  —  aided  him  materially. 
Besides  the  special  exercises  in  his  rooms,  we 
have  spoken  of  his  base-ball  playing.  Pat 
O'Callahan  found  another  liberal  patron  in 


DIREFUL   PREPARATIONS.  149 

him  ;  and  they  practised  daily,  in  unfrequented 
fields,  until  Dick  could  hold  the  hottest  ball  which 
Pat  could  throw.  He  practised  catching  in 
unusual  positions,  and  was  rewarded  by  great 
skill,  and  with  dislocated  finger-tips.  Finally, 
no  grounder  could  escape  him.  His  catching 
provoked  the  admiration  of  Pat.  In  his  batting, 
too,  he  had  caught  the  knack,  after  many  fail- 
ures :  the  ball  was  thrown  up  with  steadiness, 
and  the  bat  swung  around  just  at  the  right  time. 
The  coincidences  were  fitting  and  sharp,  and 
the  ball  flew  with  the  report  of  the  blow,  which 
is  music  to  a  base-ball  man's  ears.  With  his 
exercise,  the  upper  part  of  his  body  had  become 
more  developed  than  his  lower  limbs.  He  was 
still  a  weak  runner.  So  every  night,  clad  in  a 
light,  white  flannel  suit,  he  ran  his  appointed 
three  miles,  after  the  lights  of  Dornfield  had 
been  extinguished.  More  than  once  had  he 
frightened  the  staid  old  mare  of  some  farmer 
who  was  returning  late  over  the  road  through 
the  wood.  Indeed,  he  was  fitted  to  revive,  even 
in  an  octogenarian,  childish  fears  of  ghosts.  He 
pelted  along  with  a  sturdy  tramp,  breathing 
heavily  through  his  nose,  clad  all  in  white. 
Once  he  met  Mr.  Snevel  and  Mr.  Bandy,  as  the 
latter  was  conducting  the  former  to  his  home. 
The  reins  fell  from  the  nerveless  hands  of  Mr. 
Bandy,  and,  notwithstanding  the  artificial  warmth 


1 50  THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

generated  by  many  potations,  his  teeth  chattered. 
Mr.  Snevel  grasped  his  friend's  arm,  and  both 
sat  staring  fixedly  after  the  fleeting  spectre. 
Mr.  Snevel  was  the  first  to  recover  himself,  and 
declaimed  in  a  loud  whisper,  — 

"There  are  more  things  (hie)  in  heaven  and 
earth  (hie)  than  are  dreamed  of  in  our  philoso- 
phy, Horatius !  " 

The  growth  of  the  young  man's  muscles  be- 
came palpable.  He  had  discovered  for  himself 
one  fact,  which  most  young  men  ascertain  in 
time,  that  it  is  necessary  for  the  moral  health  to 
engage  occasionally  in  some  dangerous  pleasure, 
or,  rather,  in  some  pursuit  that  requires  fair  ex- 
ertion, to  prevent  danger.  For  this  purpose,  he 
went  over  to  Farmer  Snell's  once  a  week,  to  ride 
his  stallion,  a  fierce,  half-trained  brute.  Here  he 
had  a  hand-to-hand  fight,  and  found  a  determi- 
nation equal  to  his  own.  Farmer  Snell  told  the 
young  man  that  he  was  building  a  coffin  for  him  ; 
but  Dick  was  undaunted,  and  tore  about  a  large, 
enclosed  field,  on  the  back  of  his  fierce  charger, 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snell,  the  children,  and  the 
hired  laborers,  mounted  high  on  a  neighboring 
fence,  as  spectators.  In  this  way  he  strength- 
ened his  physical  and  moral  fibres.  It  may 
seem  a  dangerous  and  absurd  proposition  to 
maintain,  that  every  man  needs  occasionally 
something  analogous  to  a  fight  to  keep  him  in 


DIREFUL   PREPARATIONS.  151 

good  moral  health  ;  but  we  appeal  to  the  experi- 
ence of  every  manly  man.  This  idea  lies  at  the 
bottom  of  the  Englishman's  fondness  for  fox- 
hunting, and  for  Alpine  climbing  ;  the  man  who 
does  not  recognize  this  want  within  himself  is 
out  of  trim.  The  nation  that  never  goes  to 
war  becomes  a  third-rate  power. 

In  the  mean  while,  Black  and  he  were  on  pas- 
sable terms  with  each  other  ;  they  were  forced 
to  meet  very  often  at  the  Miltons',  and  at  the 
village  entertainments.  The  quick  eye  of  Miss 
Milton  noticed  that  there  was  something  between 
the  young  men.  She  felt  indignant  at  Black's 
contempt  for  her  old  friend,  even  after  she  had 
ridiculed  Dick's  apparent  effeminacy.  Black 
occasionally  saw  a  look  in  the  blue  eyes  of  Dick, 
which  showed  him  that  their  struggle  in  the 
wood,  from  which  he  came  off  the  victor,  had  not 
been  forgotten.  This  look  was  answered  by  a 
contemptuous  stare.  The  intimacy  of  Black 
with  the  Miltons  increased  from  day  to  day. 
He  was  frequently  seen  riding  with  Miss  Molly  ; 
and  they  were  continually  in  conference  respect- 
ing the  coming  match.  Dick  was  not  the  only 
person  made  unhappy  by  this  intimacy.  Rose 
Snevel  pined  away,  from  day  to  day.  She  spent 
much  time  in  sitting  under  a  broad  elm  by  the 
side  of  the  gently  running  river,  gazing  listlessly 
at  the  stream.  Every  thing  was  joyous  about 


152  THE   GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

her.  The  golden  robin  whistled  loudly  in  the 
branches.  He  had  caught  the  strain  that  seemed 
made  to  announce  the  coming  again  of  the  sweet, 
breezy  spring.  He  flashed  in  and  out,  trailing 
after  him  silvery  pieces  of  dried  twine-like  grass, 
to  construct  his  high,  swaying  abode,  that  seemed 
the  realization  of  one's  childish  dreams  of  a  nest. 
He  stopped  occasionally,  to  flutter  his  wings  in 
a  delicious  thrilling  way  before  his  mate,  and 
then  flung  himself  out  of  the  green,  swaying 
elm,  with  a  joyous  song.  A  little  sparrow  came 
clown  to  the  river's  edge,  and  washed  in  a  nook 
shaded  by  a  bunch  of  marsh-marigolds.  In  an 
alder  copse,  two  robins  plastered  their  nest  with 
mud  from  a  neighboring  sluggish  inlet,  and  con- 
sulted lovingly  together  with  a  busy  rustling. 
Each  tried  the  nest  in  their  turn,  and  flew  away 
in  different  directions,  in  search  of  material  to 
better  it.  The  swallows  bathed  in  the  bright 
sunlit  air,  flinging  themselves  on  their  backs, 
turning  hither  and  thither.  The  bees  dropped 
honey  laden  from  the  nodding  bunches  of  clover  ; 
and,  after  crawling  a  space  in  the  health-giving 
sunshine,  mounted  in  great  circles  above  the 
trees,  and  set  off  in  an  air-line  for  their  hives. 
Rose  was  conscious  of  all  the  sweet  sounds 
about  her ;  but  there  was  something  within  her 
that  made  the  landscape  seem  tame  and  uninter- 
esting. Bobbie  showed  her  a  bobolink's  nest, 


DIREFUL   PREPARATIONS.  153 

with  great  pride :  they  had  often  sought  for  one 
together  ;  but  they  had  never  found  one.  Rose, 
to  her  brother's  disappointment,  seemed  to  have 
lost  her  interest  in  bird-nesting.  She  seemed 
no  longer  able  to  take  any  walks,  or  to  accom- 
pany him  on  his  tramps  in  search  of  new 
flowers. 

"  Why,  Rose,"  said  he,  in  astonishment, 
"  seems  to  me  you  can't  do  any  thing  now-a-days  ! 
Miss  Milton  don't  think  any  thing  of  walking  six 
miles." 

"  Bobbie,  I  don't  want  to  hear  you  say  that 
Miss  Milton  does  this  and  does  that." 

"  Why  !  "  exclaimed  her  brother,  in  astonish- 
ment. 

"  Don't  ask  why,"  exclaimed  his  sister,  with  a 
half-repressed  sob. 

"  I  like  her,  first-rate,"  said  Bobbie,  putting  a 
piece  of  grass  in  his  mouth,  as  he  lolled  on  the 
bank  beside  his  sister.  "  She  is  always  ready  for 
any  thing.  She  knows  all  about  base  ball,  and 
can  do  every  thing.  Oh  !  I  like  her  ;  but  she 
isn't  half  so  handsome  as  you  are,  Rose :  she 
says  so  herself." 

Rose  smiled  tearfully,  as  her  brother  insisted 
upon  kissing  her.  Bobbie's  affectionate  heart 
was  much  troubled  by  the  change  in  his  sister. 
He  noticed  that  Ned  Black  came  to  see  her  less 
frequently,  and  was  very  often  with  Miss  Mil- 
7* 


154  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

ton.  He  was  much  interested  in  the  conversa- 
tion of  the  captain  of  the  nine  with  the  latter, 
and  felt  proud  that  he  could  understand  it  thor- 
oughly, whenever  it  was  on  ball  matters.  He 
prized  the  commendations  which  they  both  be- 
stowed upon  him  occasionally,  for  his  bright 
judgments  in  regard  to  the  condition  of  affairs. 
Ned  Black  was  his  ideal  of  what  he  should  be 
himself  some  day.  He  worshipped  him  devotedly, 
and  held  his  head  very  high  among  the  town 
boys,  because  Ned  Black  singled  him  out  to  run 
errands  for  the  club,  and  generally  gave  him 
some  commission  which  admitted  him  to  many 
of  its  privileges.  Still,  he  did  not  like  Black's 
neglect  of  his  sister.  He  grew  indignant  at 
times,  and  once  was  absolutely  rude  to  Miss 
Milton,  after  she  had  turned  back  to  rejoin  him 
after  a  long  and  interesting  tete-a-tete  with  Ned 
Black  at  the  gate. 

"  Why,  Bobbie !  what  is  the  matter  with 
you  ? "  she  exclaimed,  as  she  rebuked  him. 

"  Nothing  :  only  I  'm  mad." 

"  Why  are  you  mad  ?  " 

"  I  'm  mad,  —  because  I  am  mad." 

"  Well,"  said  Miss  Milton,  with  a  laugh,  "  that 
is  an  excellent  reason.  Come,  sit  right  down 
here  in  the  grass  with  me,  and  tell  me  all  about 
it." 

"  Why  do  you  want  to  get  every  thing  out  of 


DIREFUL   PREPARATIONS.  155 

me  ?  "  said  Bobbie,  flinging  himself  on  the  grass, 
moodily. 

"  I  don't  want  to  get  any  thing  out  of  you 
which  you  are  unwilling  I  should  know,  Bobbie ; 
but,  you  know,  two  friends  can't  be  true  friends, 
unless  they  confide  in  each  other ;  and  I  've  al- 
ways told  you  I  wanted  you  to  treat  me  as  a 
sister,  and  confide  in  me."  Thus  saying,  she 
brushed  back  the  tangled  locks  from  his  flushed 
face. 

Bobbie  put  both  his  hands  in  hers.  His  sensi- 
tive lip  quivered.  He  could  not  tell  her  that  he 
was  indignant  with  Ned  Black.  He  felt  that 
his  sister  would  shrink  from  telling  Miss  Milton 
any  thing  that  concerned  their  family  matters. 
He  did  not  like  to  be  disloyal  to  Ned  Black. 
He  looked  up  at  Miss  Milton  with  such  a  de- 
spairing look,  in  which  was  mingled  so  much 
frank,  boyish  affection  for  her,  that  the  young 
lady  was  fairly  overcome,  and  put  her  arms 
about  his  curly  head. 

"  Never  mind  now,"  said  she :  "  some  other 
time ;  but  remember,  Bobbie,  two  friends  must 
always  be  open-hearted  towards  each  other. 
You  know  we  are  not  going  to  have  any  secrets 
from  each  other." 

"  I  haven't  kept  any  secrets  from  you,"  ex- 
claimed her  companion.  "  Don't  you  know, 
I  've  always  told  you  every  thing.  I  told  you 


156  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

how  I  tripped  up  the  schoolmaster,  by  tying  the 
grass  in  the  field  in  loops." 

"  I  know  it,  Bobbie  ;  and  we  came  to  the  con- 
clusion it  wasn't  manly,  and  you  went  and 
apologized,  I  remember  :  that  was  a  brave  thing 
to  do  ;  and  you  wouldn't  have  done  it,  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  me." 

"  I  got  a  whipping  for  it ;  but  I  'm  glad  I  didn't 
sneak." 

"  I  know  you  are.  My  friend  must  always  be 
a  brave,  open-hearted  man.  Some  other  time, 
Bobbie,  if  you  don't  feel  like  telling  me  now." 
Thus  saying,  she  extended  her  hand  for  him  to 
assist  her  to  rise. 

"  I  love  that  little  fellow,"  said  Miss  Milton 
to  herself,  as  she  watched  his  sturdy  figure  walk 
slowly  out  of  her  sight.  "  He  will  make  a  fine 
man,  some  day.  There  is  a  depth  of  affection  in 
him,  which,  I  fear,  is  not  satisfied  at  home : 
certainly  not  by  his  father,  who  is  a  cold- 
hearted,  disagreeable  old  aristocrat ;  but  he  is 
very  fond  of  his  sister.  I  wonder  why  he  is  so 
moody  of  late  when  Ned  Black  is  with  me.  I 
have  heard  that  Black  was  once  very  attentive 
to  Rose  Snevel.  But,  perhaps,  this  was  village 
gossip.  They  say  she  does  not  look  well.  Bob- 
bie will  tell  me  every  thing  to-morrow.  I  am 
determined  that  that  boy  shall  be  the  perfection 
of  all  that  is  manly,  as  long  as  I  have  any  influ- 


DIREFUL   PREPARATIONS.  157 

ence  over  him."  As  she  stood  gazing  after  the 
boy,  she  heard  footsteps  behind  her,  and  turn- 
ing, saw  Mr.  Graham.  She  had  always  known 
him  as  an  extremely  reserved  man,  who  came 
to  see  them  punctiliously  twice  a  year ;  and  she 
was  somewhat  surprised  to  receive  a  visit  from 
him  in  the  garden. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,"  said  she,  warmly. 
"  Will  you  come  into  the  house,  or  take  a  seat 
here  ? " 

Mr.  Graham  said  that  he  preferred  the  latter ; 
and  they  speedily  found  themselves  chatting  on 
various  subjects. 

"  I  hear  that  you  are  going  to  have  a  Martha 
Washington  tea-party  next  week,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  base-ball  nine,"  said  Graham. 

"  Yes  :  we  propose  to  have  it  on  the  lawn ; 
and  I  hope  to  see  you  there." 

"  I  shall  certainly  come,"  he  replied,  in  an 
absent  manner.  "  Who  are  the  leaders  in  it  ? " 

"  Well,  there  's  Mrs.  Cramer  and  the  Misses 
Brown,  Miss  Fowler  and  Miss  Folder,  and  my- 
self. Perhaps  Mrs.  Silver  will  help." 

"  You  do  not  mention  Miss  Rose  Snevel." 

"  No,"  replied  Miss  Milton,  somewhat  haugh- 
tily. "  To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  can  only  get  just 
so  far  with  Rose.  She  repulses  all  my  advances, 
and  I  have  made  a  great  many.  One  gets  tired 
of  being  snubbed." 


158  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"  I  wish  you  could  prevail  upon  her  to  take 
a  prominent  part  in  this  festival,"  said  Graham. 
"  She  would  certainly  grace  it  ;  and,  I  think,  she 
ought  to  be  brought  out  more  into  our  village 
society." 

"  Grace  it !  why,  she  would  be  the  beauty  of 
the  party :  there  is  no  denying  that ;  and  I  think 
she  is  making  a  great  mistake  in  living  in  such 
seclusion.  But,  frankly,  Mr.  Graham,  I  don't  see 
why  you  should  ask  me  to  force  myself  upon 
her." 

"  I  do  not ;  but  there  are  circumstances  in 
Miss  Snevel's  life  which  you  do  not  know.  In 
my  position,  as  executor  of  her  late  aunt's  small 
estate,  I  have  become  acquainted  with  certain 
unpleasant  facts  in  regard  to  her  father.  I 
know,  Miss  Milton,  you  will  not  repeat  this  ;  but 
the  truth  is,  Mr.  Snevel  is  a  self-indulgent,  cold- 
hearted  man,  full  of  extreme  courtesy  and  high- 
bred manners,  but  without  one  spark  of  sincerity. 
I  know  I  speak  strongly,"  said  Graham,  perceiv- 
ing the  look  of  astonishment  upon  his  com- 
panion's face  ;  "  but,  as  I  have  said,  I  have  been 
brought  much  in  relation  with  him  recently,  in 
regard  to  his  daughter's  small  patrimony.  He 
appropriates  the  interest  which  is  due  her,  and 
which  she  should  have  for  her  further  education 
and  for  her  dress,  and  junkets  with  Mr.  Bandy, 
whom  you  know  to  be  a  man  given  to  the  grati- 


DIREFUL   PREPARATIONS.  159 

fication  of  his  own  tastes.  Rose  never  murmurs 
at  this  action  of  her  father.  If  this  wertf  all, 
she  could  still  be  happy.  But  her  father  has 
lately  taken  to  drinking,  and  returns  almost 
every  night  unable  to  take  care  of  himself "  — 

"  What,  the  courtly  Mr.  Snevel ! "  exclaimed 
Miss  Milton. 

"  Yes  ;  and,  after  helping  him  to  find  his  own 
gate,  I  have  stood  unobserved  in  the  moonlight, 
and  seen  that  beautiful  girl  open  the  door,  and, 
with  one  hand  apparently  repressing  the  throb- 
bring  of  her  heart,  assist  him  in." 

Graham's  voice  trembled  a  little  as  he  said 
this.  Miss  Milton  uttered  an  exclamation  of 
hearty  sympathy. 

"  You  can  see,"  continued  Graham,  "why  this 
proud  girl  should  desire  to  live  in  seclusion  ; 
why  she  should  avoid  having  intimate  friends ; 
and  why  her  conduct  should  appear  strange  to 
those  who  do  not  know  her  trying  circumstances, 
and  to  one,  like  yourself,  who  has  always  had  a 
wealth  of  affection  bestowed  upon  you." 

"  I  shall  go  to  Rose  at  once ! "  exclaimed  Miss 
Milton.  "  Thank  you  heartily,  Mr.  Graham. 
I  wish  we  might  see  more  of  you  too,"  she  said, 
with  sudden  warmth. 

Mr.  Graham  seemed  to  put  aside  his  reserve, 
and  thanked  her  heartily,  and  they  sat  and 
talked  about  the  tea-party. 


160  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 


"  I  now  understand  Bobbie  Snevel's  manner 
lately,"  said  Miss  Milton,  after  a  pause ;  and  she 
told  her  companion  about  his  moods.  "  I  have 
noticed  them  especially  when  Mr.  Black  has 
been  here,"  said  she,  in  an  inquiring  manner. 

Graham's  face  grew  stern  as  he  listened. 

"  He  is  a  fine  little  fellow,"  said  he,  after  a 
pause.  "  He  confessed  to  me  that  he  strove  to 
conceal  his  father's  infirmity  for  a  long  time 
from  his  sister,  and  had  succeeded  in  doing  so, 
until  Mr.  Snevel  took  to  returning  late  at  night, 
while  he  was  sound  asleep.  Then  Miss  Rose 
strove  in  her  turn  to  keep  it  from  her  brother. 
But  it  was  useless  ;  they  both  know  all." 

Graham  saw  Miss  Milton's  fine  face  glow  at 
the  mention  of  Bobbie's  devotion. 

"  How  uncharitable  I  have  been  towards 
Rose ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  I  shall  insist  upon 
loving  her." 

"  She  is  a  beautiful  girl,"  said  Graham  :  "  and 
she  has  a  most  loving  disposition ;  there  is 
danger  of  its  becoming  warped  in  the  atmos- 
phere in  which  she  lives.  Mr.  Snevel  is  arbitrary 
and  exacting  to  the  last  degree.  Her  home, 
believe  me,  is  a  very  unhappy  one."  As  he 
said  this,  he  rose,  and  bade  her  good-evening. 

At  tea,  she  said  to  her  uncle,  as  she  did  th.e 
honors  of  his  table,  "  I  thought  that  Mr.  Graham 
was  a  cold,  reserved  old  bachelor,  who  was  given 
over  to  money-making." 


DIREFUL   PREPARATIONS.  l6i 

"  What  makes  you  think  otherwise,  my  dear  ?  " 

Miss  Milton  related  her  conversation  with 
Graham. 

"  Glad  to  know  another  side.  Glad  to  know 
it !  "  exclaimed  her  uncle,  heartily.  "  I  've  al- 
ways respected  the  fellow ;  for  he  rose  right 
from  the  ranks,  by  his  own  exertions.  His 
word  is  as  good  as  his  bond,  any  day.  Always 
thought,  though,  that  he  was  a  stiff  and  proud 
man.  Well,  we  never  know  each  other  until 
circumstances  show  us  in  our  true  colors.  Poor 
Rose  and  Bobbie !  I  always  disliked  old  Snevel. 
He  has  those  aristocratic  feelings  which  I  have 
always  despised.  They  do  well  enough  on  Eng- 
lish soil ;  but  they  are  out  of  place  in  America. 
He  has  a  long  line  of  ancestors,  to  be  sure. 
But  I  'm  as  proud  of  my  humble  old  father  and 
mother,  as  he  is  of  his.  The  Miltons  never 
owed  anybody  any  thing,  and  were  always 
honest." 

"  Mr.  Graham  is  very  much  interested  in  Rose, 
I  can  see  that,"  said  his  niece.  "  Do  you  sup- 
pose an  old  bachelor,  such  as  he  evidently  is, 
could  fall  in  love  ? " 

"  Bless  your  heart,  Molly  ;  I  can  fall  in  love 
this  instant  with  you." 

"  I  know  it,  my  dear  uncle,"  said  Molly,  going 
to  his  side  and  kissing  him.  "  You  have  a  heart 
formed  for  love  and  every  noble  thing  ;  but  I 


1 62  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

don't  know  Mr.  Graham.  It  would  be  splendid 
for  Rose,  if  he  only  could.  I  think  he  is  a  very 
good-looking  man.  He  has  that  peculiar  iron- 
gray  hair  which  romantic  young  ladies  admire  ; 
and  he  has  a  very  good  figure.  His  face  is  not 
handsome;  but  it  is  a  manly  one  which  one  likes 
to  study.  Then,  he  is  not  very  old,  after  all.  It 
is  said  he  can't  be  caught ;  for  all  the  old  maids 
in  the  village  have  endeavored  to  win  him." 

"  He  is  like  an  old  trout,"  laughed  Mr.  Milton  ; 
"  but  old  trout,  even,  can  be  caught  in  the  moon- 
light, with  handsome  flies." 

"  I  don't  see  what  the  young  men  are  thinking 
about,  I  declare,"  exclaimed  his  niece,  "  to  neg- 
lect such  a  beautiful  creature  as  Rose." 

"  She  isn't  half  as  good-looking  as  you  are," 
said  her  uncle,  stoutly. 

"  Oh,  uncle  ! " 

"  Not  in  my  eyes,  my  dear  girl,"  exclaimed 
the  old  gentleman,  kissing  her  fondly.  "  Molly, 
I  've  got  a  present  for  you  ;  but  you  mustn't 
look  at  it,"  said  her  uncle,  presenting  a  little  box, 
"until  I  get  out  of  the  room."  Thus  saying, 
with  a  hearty  laugh,  he  went  out  to  look  at  the 
horses. 

His  niece  gazed  at  the  package  curiously. 
"  He  is  the  kindest,  dearest  old  gentleman  in 
the  wide  world :  always  doing  something  to 
make  me  happy ;  anticipating  even  my  wishes. 


DIREFUL  PREPARATIONS.  163 

His  spirit  pervades  all  about  us  :  even  the  ser- 
vants have  caught  it,  and  bow  down  to  me  as 
if  I  were  a  princess.  Could  any  one  be  hap- 
pier than  I  am  ?  I  wonder  what  is  in  this  box ! 
A  pair  of  solitaire  ear-rings.  Oh !  oh !  how 
beautiful !  The  extravagant,  dear  old  gentle- 
man !  he  shall  have  a  thousand  kisses  right  off." 
Thus  saying,  she  ran  after  him,  impulsively. 

On  the  morning  of  Miss  Milton's  visit,  Rose 
had  been  peculiarly  tried.  Mr.  Snevel's  spirits 
in  the  morning  were  never  so  high  as  they  were 
at  night  ;  and,  on  the  morning  of  which  we 
speak,  he  felt  very  irritable.  His  elaborate 
shirts  had  not  come  home  from  the  washer- 
woman as  immaculate  as  he  wished. 

"  Rose,  a  man  could  go  out  haying  in  one  of 
these  garments  ;  but  a  gentleman  really  does 
desire  something  better,  and  not  unreasonably. 
Then,  too,  a  man  really  wants  a  button  or  two : 
they  are  not  absolutely  necessary,  you  know  ; 
but  comfortable,  very.  Oh  !  of  course  not,  —  I 
don't  expect  absolute  perfection  in  a  washer- 
woman, nor  do  I  wish  you  to  give  all  your 
time  to  household  affairs  ;  but  it  strikes  me  that 
affairs  are  at  rather  loose  ends.  Now,  this  boor 
of  a  servant-girl,  what  does  she  mean  in  putting 
this  dish  at  my  right  hand,  just  where  I  can 
sweep  it  off  the  table  with  my  elbow  ?  This 
coffee  would  do  credit  to  a  boarding-house. 


164  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

Rose,  why  can't  we  have  a  good  cup  of  coffee 
once  in  a  while,  —  say  once  a  week  ?  " 

Mr.  Snevel's  courtesy  never  allowed  him  to  say 
such  things  to  Rose  before  the  servant :  he 
always  waited,  in  a  dignified  way,  until  she  retired 
into  the  kitchen.  Rose  that  morning,  in  the 
sweetest  manner,  endeavored  to  mollify  her 
father  in  every  possible  way.  The  fortunate 
arrival  of  a  good  cup  of  coffee  brought  back  a 
measure  of  contentment  to  his  face. 

"  Father,  can  you  give  me  a  little  money  to- 
day ?  "  said  she,  timidly. 

"  What  do  you  want  money  for  ?  " 

"  I  need  a  few  articles  of  dress,  and  Bobbie  is 
out  of  shoes." 

"  I  thought  your  aunt  sent  you  a  lot  of  things 
a  few  days  ago ;  and  what 's  the  use  of  buying 
Bobbie  shoes,  if  he  runs  all  round  the  country, 
playing  ball  ? " 

"You  said  your  pride  would  prevent  your 
receiving  things  from  auntie,  and  so  I  sent  them 
back." 

"  You  sent  them  back ! "  echoed  her  father, 
with  a  look  of  anger.  "  Now,  what  did  you  do 
that  for  ?  " 

"  You  were  so  angry  that  she  should  send  us 
such  cheap  things  ;  and  you  told  me  to  send 
them  back,  instantly." 

"Your  pardon  :  I  never  told  you  so." 


DIREFUL   PREPARATIONS.  165 

Rose  looked  at  her  father,  with  a  flush  on  her 
cheeks  which  showed  him  that  they  should 
have  a  scene ;  and  he,  accordingly,  rose  from 
the  table  in  a  dignified,  and  yet  saddened,  man- 
ner, and  shut  himself  up  in  the  library. 

Shortly  after  this  scene,  Miss  Milton's  basket- 
wagon  was  standing  outside  the  gate;  and  that 
young  lady,  with  a  happy  look  upon  her  beaming 
face,  was  at  the  door,  desiring  to  see  Rose. 
She  was  firmly  resolved  not  to  be  repulsed  or 
snubbed  ;  and  accordingly,  not  noticing  the  air 
of  extreme  reserve  and  coldness  with  which 
Miss  Snevel  greeted  her,  plunged  at  once  into 
the  Martha  Washington  tea-party. 

"  We  depend  upon  your  being  one  of  our  chief 
directoresses,  or, —  what  shall  we  call  them  ?  — 
chief  hostesses.  You  know,  we  have  all  got  to 
dress  in  the  old-fashioned  style,  and  wear  Martha 
Washington  caps,  and  little  aprons.  We  want 
you  to  take  the  ice-cream  table." 

"  I  fear  you  must  excuse  me,"  said  Rose,  half 
repulsing  her  visitor's  enthusiastic,  affectionate 
manner.  She  saw  her  visitor's  rich  and-  tasteful 
morning-dress  ;  and  her  love  for  Ned  Black 
awakened  a  feeling  of  jealousy  and  envy  that 
shocked  even  her  own  mind. 

"  The  whole  village  will  come,"  continued  Miss 
Milton  ;  "  and  you  know  the  Martha  Washing- 
ton dress  will  be  ever  so  becoming  to  you. 


1 66  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

We  have  been  counting  so  much  upon  having 
you." 

Rose  pictured  to  herself  the  gay  festival,  on  a 
beautiful  summer  evening,  and  contrasted  it 
with  the  gloom  of  her  own  home  ;  for  Ned  Black 
would  certainly  be  at  the  party.  If  he  did  not 
come  to  invite  her,  she  should  be  wretchedly 
miserable.  If  he  knew  that  she  was  to  be  one 
of  the  young-lady  attendants,  he  would  not 
come  for  her.  Perhaps  it  would  be  better  to 
avoid  putting  him  to  the  test ;  for  she  was  not  in 
a  mood  to  bear  a  disappointment.  She  finally 
consented  to  be  one  of  the  attendants. 

"  Oh,  thank  you  ever  so  much !  Now  I  'm 
perfectly  happy :  all  our  arrangements  seem  to 
come  out  very  nicely.  Then,  too,  my  uncle 
has  just  made  me  a  present  of  a  pair  of  splendid 
solitaires.  He  is  always  doing  such  nice  things. 
I  think  he  is  the  finest  old  gentleman  in  the 
world.  He  surrounds  me  with  pleasures.  You 
will  come  up  to  see  me,  won't  you,  to-morrow  ? 
and  we  will  talk  this  party  over ;  there  are  sev- 
eral things  that  must  be  arranged.  We  want  to 
see  if  we  can't  get  up  some  fanciful  designs  for 
the  ice-creams." 

Rose  accompanied  her  visitor  to  her  equipage, 
and  stood  under  the  lilacs,  watching  her  as  she 
whirled  away.  She  bitterly  contrasted  Miss 
Milton's  surroundings  with  her  own.  On  one 


DIREFUL  PREPARATIONS.  167 

side  was  the  utmost  warmth  of  affection  and 
devotion  ;  and  on  the  other,  extreme  coldness 
and  selfishness.  Could  she  blame  Ned  Black  if 
he  was  repelled  by  her  surroundings,  and  at- 
tracted by  the  happy  home  and  the  wealth  of 
her  rival  ?  The  tears  came  to  her  eyes,  as  they 
are  so  apt  to  do  in  fits  of  self-abasement.  She 
stole  up  stairs  to  her  room,  and  scrutinized  her- 
self in  the  glass.  She  certainly  had  a  better 
figure  than  Miss  Milton.  But  was  her  face  as 
good-looking  ?  she  could  n.ot  tell.  In  the  attic, 
among  her  dear  mother's  old  things,  she  remem- 
bered that  there  was  a  very  rich  silk,  with  large 
figures  of  flowers,  of  a  quaint  fashion.  It  had 
been  the  dress  in  which  she  had  gone  to  the  ball 
given  in  honor  of  Lafayette.  It  would  be  just 
the  dress  for  this  party  ;  Ned  Black  should  see 
her  at  her  best ;  and  she  sprang  up  the  attic 
stairs.  How  tender  were  the  emotions  awak- 
ened in  the  young  girl's  breast,  as  she  opened 
the  old  oaken  chest,  and  looked  over  her 
mother's  things !  This  was  not  the  first  time 
that  she  had  done  so :  her  tears  had  often 
spotted  some  delicate  vesture,  as  she  bent  over 
the  contents  of  the  chest,  longing  for  the  affec- 
tion which  a  mother  might  have  bestowed  upon 
her ;  which,  alas !  it  had  never  been  her  good 
fortune  to  know,  for  her  mother  had  died  when 
she  was  a  mere  child.  There  were  rich,  brocaded 


1 68  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

silk  gowns  ;  old-fashioned,  large  bonnets  that 
brought  a  smile  to  Rose's  lips  even  when  her 
eyes  trembled  with  tears.  There  were  delicate 
little  slippers  in  great  numbers  ;  for  Mrs.  Snevel 
evidently  had  a  beautiful  foot,  and  liked  to  in- 
dulge her  womanly  vanity.  Rose  frequently 
sat  down  upon  the  hard  attic  floor,  and  tried  on 
these  slippers  ;  they  were  a  trifle  too  large  for 
her.  Then  she  would  kiss  them,  and  replace 
them  tenderly.  In  the  chest  was  laid  away  the 
wedding  gown.  It  seemed  so  small  to  Rose,  in 
its  flattened  state,  with  the  highly  embroidered 
sleeves  folded  over  the  front  of  the  bodice,  with 
a  sad  suggestion  of  a  human  form.  Perhaps  the 
mother,  in  another,  more  beautiful  state  of  exist- 
ence, saw  her  beautiful  daughter  bending  over 
her  earthly  garments,  and  was  glad  even  to  wit- 
ness her  sorrow,  from  a  knowledge  of  a  glorious 
future  state  which  would  be  hers  when  time 
was  annihilated.  While  Rose  bent  over  the 
chest,  communing  with  the  past,  the  day  out- 
side was  exactly  like  the  one  on  which  her 
mother  had  been  married,  a  half  a  century  ago. 
The  shadows  of  the  soft,  fleecy  clouds  pulsated 
on  the  green  banks ;  the  songs  of  the  bobo- 
links came  up  from  the  clover-fields  ;  the 
cheery  call  of  the  ploughman  to  his  oxen  re- 
sounded from  the  upland  ;  the  swallows  twit- 
tered in  the  eaves  ;  and  the  soft  breeze  whispered, 


DIREFUL  PREPARATIONS.  169 

in  the  same  tone,  to  the  old  elm  in  front  of  the 
house.  The  mother  might  have  walked  down 
the  garden  path,  knocked  with  the  old  knocker, 
and  ascended  to  the  attic,  and  found  all  just  as 
if  she  had  merely  awakened  from  a  dream, 
save  the  presence  of  this  beautiful  girl,  who  bent 
in  tears  over  her  mother's  antiquated  dresses. 
Rose  gazed  and  gazed.  A  bee,  which  had  en- 
tered the  attic  through  some  broken  window- 
pane,  buzzed  against  the  old  skylight,  or  made 
impatient  excursions  in  a  shaft  of  sunlight. 
The  soothing  noise  of  his  wings,  and  the  alter- 
nating gloom  of  the  changing  cloud-shadows, 
the  absence  of  jarring  sounds,  together  with  the 
sight  of  the  garments  of  one  long  at  peace, 
always  could  calm  the  most  impetuous  emotions 
of  Rose's  breast.  After  a  long  revery,  she  took 
out  the  dress  she  was  in  search  of,  and,  carrying 
it  to  her  room,  arrayed  herself. 

It  fitted  her  lithe  form  to  perfection.  The 
high  ruff  parted  to  show  her  pearly  throat  ;  and 
the  open  bosom,  fringed  with  rich  okl  lace, 
became  her  to  perfection.  Could  Ned  Black 
find  any  fault  with  her,  in  such  a  costume  ? 
With  all  the  strange  lack  of  insight  of  a  young 
girl,  she  imputed  considerations  to  her  lover 
which  should  have  made  her  despise  him,  in- 
stead of  seeking  to  pander  to  them. 


I/O  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A    MARTHA    WASHINGTON    TEA-PARTY. 

/^RANDHURST  found  much  to  interest 
^-^  him  in  the  village  of  Dornfield.  Mr.  Mil- 
ton insisted  upon  his  staying  with  him,  —  at  least, 
until  the  ball-match  ;  and,  therefore,  the  young 
man  lingered.  He  walked  about  the  country  in 
English  shoes,  which  the  country  beaux  laughed 
at,  in  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  they  were  the 
proper  things  to  have.  They  ridiculed  his  large 
shade- umbrella,  and  whispered,  "You  know" 
and  "  aw  "  to  each  other,  behind  his  back,  bliss- 
fully unconscious  that  their  pronunciation  and 
provincialisms  were  equally  laughable  to  the 
returned  traveller.  Grandhurst  was  very  critical 
of  Miss  Milton :  he  saw  much  in  her  to  dislike. 
She  was  too  demonstrative,  and  was  wanting  in 
the  fine  equipoise  which  marks  a  woman  of  cul- 
ture and  refinement.  He  left  her  often  in  a  fit 
of  indignation,  to  seek  the  society  of  the  Silvers 
and  of  Miss  Gould.  But  he  found,  after  an  hour 
or  two,  that  they  stimulated  his  aesthetic  faculties 


A    TEA-PARTY.  1 71 

to  so  high  a  degree  that  he  came  back  to  Miss 
Milton  to  be  refreshed,  and  to  criticise  anew 
her  hoydenish  ways. 

"  Well,  are  you  going  to  this  Martha  Washing- 
ton tea-party?"  said  Mr.  Silver  to  him  one  even- 
ing. 

"  Yes  :  I  suppose  so.  Somewhat  of  a  bore, 
though.  The  Miltons  are  immensely  interested 
in  it.  The  old  gent  enters  into  it  as  if  the  future 
of  this  village  depended  upon  it." 

"  He  is  a  queer,  old,  good-souled  creature,"  said 
Mr.  Silver,  rising  from  his  chair,  with  an  air  of 
genteel  invalidism.  "  It  strikes  me  that  a  good 
deal  of  his  rush  and  gush  is  put  on,  don't  you  ? " 

"  O  Francis !  I  don't  think  so,"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Silver.  "  I  think  he  is  a  real  good  man. 
He  certainly  does  every  thing  for  his  niece." 

"  Like  most  women,"  said  her  husband,  "  you 
bring  forward  citations  to  disprove  what  I  don't 
advance.  I  grant  that  he  is  good,  attentive  to 
his  niece,  and  all  that.  But  what  I  maintain  is, 
that  he  has  a  habit  of  enthusiasm  which  he  has 
cultivated.  My  question  is,  whether  it  is  the 
true  thing  or  not." 

"  Perhaps  it  is  a  little  affected,"  replied  Mrs. 
Silver ;  "  but  I  think  that  there  is  much  that  is 
genuine.  It  is  a  pity  that  he  hasn't  more  of  the 
reserve  and  courtly  manners  of  Mr.  Snevel." 

"  Snevel's  manners  are  perfect,"  said  Grand- 


1/2  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

hurst.  "  I  noticed  he  addressed  you  last  even- 
ing, Mrs.  Silver,  with  an  air  which  would  have 
done  credit  to  any  court  in  Europe." 

"  You  know  he  was  an  attache  once  of  our 
Legation  in  Paris,  don't  you  ? "  said  Mr.  Silver. 

"  No :  was  he  ?  Why,  I  must  make  further 
advances  to  the  old  gent.  Miss  Rose,  too,  is  a 
fine  girl.  By  Jove !  how  she  would  shine  in 
England !  She  is  not  disposed  to  talk  much, 
however.  I  haven't  devoted  much  attention  to 
her  yet;  been  so  deusedly  bored  by  all  this 
base-ball  enthusiasm.  Shall  try  to  see  more  of 
her." 

"  Get  out  your  genealogical  tree,"  said  Mr. 
Silver.-  "  Snevel  is  perched  upon  the  topmost 
limb  of  his.  He  is  aristocratic  to  the  last 
degree.  The  servants  who  have  been  in  his 
house  tell  queer  stories." 

"  Oh,  don't,  Francis ! "  laughed  Mrs,  Silver, 
in  a  deprecating  way.  "  Mr.  Grandhurst  will 
think  we  are  village  gossips.  They  do  tell 
funny  stories,  however.  You  remember,  Francis, 
how  our  last  cook,  who  had  also  been  a  servant 
of  the  Snevels,  used  to  talk  about  the  master's 
fine  manners,  and  the  starvation  in  his  kitchen  ?  " 

"  Yes. ;  but  these  stories  were  evidently  based 
upon  pique  and  resentment.  I  like  old  Snevel : 
there  is  an  air  of  refinement  about  him  which  is 
refreshing  in  this  country." 


A    TEA-PARTY.  173 

"  He  is  a  grand  old  cock,"  said  Grandhurst. 
"  I  shall  cultivate  him  :  they  say  he  is  a  little 
given  to  the  bottle." 

"  Oh,  that 's  a  slander  !  "  said  Mr.  Silver.  "  I 
shouldn't  blame  him  much,  if  he  did  drink  in 
this  prosy,  do-nothing  place." 

"  Why,  Francis  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Silver,  look- 
ing up  from  her  copy  of  "  Middlemarch."  Mr. 
Silver  fell  back  into  his  arm-chair,  and  put  his 
finger-ends  in  juxtaposition,  as  if  he  were  ready 
to  maintain  his  position. 

"  He  looks  as  if  he  meditated  it  too,  doesn't 
he,  Mr.  Grandhurst  ? "  said  Mrs.  Silver,  giving 
her  husband  a  little  affectionate  thrust  with  the 
paper-cutter.  "  If  you  hadn't  happened  upon 
us,  in  our  out-of-the-way  retreat,  to  refresh  us 
with  news  from  dear  Florence,  I  think  Francis 
and  I  should  have  perished  like  babes  in  the 
wood." 

The  Martha  Washington  tea-party  was  des- 
tined to  make  a  great  sensation.  It  was  uni- 
versally acknowledged  that  it  was  a  much  more 
refined  affair  to  have  than  the  fair,  which  was 
about  to  be  held  in  Milltown  for  the  benefit  of 
their  nine.  After  all,  there  was  a  very  good 
reason  for  the  Milltownites  not  having  a  Martha 
Washington  tea-party  :  no  one  had  any  ances- 
tors over  there.  There  were  no  old  gowns,  no 
rich,  brocaded  silks,  no  colored  stockings,  which 


174  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

had  been  handed  down.  It  was  very  easy  to 
see  why  they  inclined  to  a  fair. 
•  "  This  base-ball  business  is  destined  to  unite 
all  the  diverse  interests  in  the  village,"  said 
Tom  Milton  to  Grandhurst,  as  they  rode  over 
the  hills.  "  Dornfield  has  been  a  cliquey  place  ; 
but  this  ball  business,  and  the  Martha  Washing- 
ton, bid  fair  to  bring  the  folks  together."  Every 
one  did  seem  to  take  hold  in  real  earnest.  The 
farmers'  wives  among  the  hills  looked  over  their 
collections  of  old  garments,  in  order  to  fit  out 
Hetty  or  Ann  for  the  party.  The  old  grand- 
mothers were  consulted,  and  grew  eloquent  over 
their  memories. 

"The  ladies'  dresses  were  smaller  in  those 
days  than  they  are  now,  weren't  they  ?  "  asked 
Dick  Softy  of  Grandmother  Snell,  one  day  as 
he  came  into  the  house,  a  moment  after  his 
weekly  exercise  with  the  untamed  horse. 

"  Wall,  they  hadn't  any  flummery  overskirts 
in  them  days,  and  the  dresses  were  shorter." 

"Sorter  stiff,  weren't  they?"  said  Farmer 
Snell. 

"  Wall,  they  laced  up  considerable  in  them 
days  :  wore  stays.  Then,  I  remember  the  stock- 
ings :  they  had  a  clock  on  the  sides,  a  sort  of 
seam  embroidered,  and  some  of  'em  were  open 
worked.  Bless  you !  I  used  to  wear  black  silk 
stockings." 


A    TEA-PARTY.  1/5 

"  You  must  have  looked  fine,  indeed,"  said 
Dick. 

"  She  was  a  great  beauty  in  her  day,"  whis- 
pered Farmer  Snell. 

"  I  remember,"  said  Grandmother  Snell,  with 
a  far-off  look  over  the  pastures,  "  the  first  party 
your  father,"  pointing  to  Farmer  Snell,  "took 
me  to.  It  was  about  this  season  o'  the  year.  I 
wore  a  low-necked,  blue,  brocaded  silk.  My  hair 
was  arranged  in  great  puffs,  and  held  up  with  a 
great  turtle-shell  comb.  I  wore  white  stockings, 
open  worked,  and  I  had  the  prettiest  slippers 
good  money  could  buy.  I  remember  your  father 
said  I  was  the  prettiest  girl  in  the  room,  and 
there  was  a  powerful  lot  of  'em ;  some  in  ruffs, 
and  some  without.  Mrs.  Cramer's  mother  was 
there  in  a  white  silk  ;  and  Mrs.  Forder's  mother, 
in  a  wine-colored  one.  Some  one,  in  a  buff- 
colored  silk  with  great  figures.  I  disremember 
who  it  was.  Who  could  it  have  been  ?  I  shall 
think  soon.  Wall,  now,  that 's  strange.  I  can 
see  the  whole  party  before  me  as  clear  as  day. 
Who  could  it  have  been  ?  I  came  home  through 
the  grass  lot,  and  ruined  my  bronzed  slippers; 
and  wa'n't  my  mother  mad  ?  But  it  was  your 
father's  fault :  he  wouldn't  let  me  go  home  in 
the  wagon  with  the  rest  of  the  girls.  Who  could 
it  have  been  ? " 

"  Now,  what   is   a   Martha   Washington   tea- 


1 76  THE   GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

party  ?  "  asked  Dick,  who  was  a  great  favorite  of 
the  old  lady. 

"  Lord  bless  you  !  Caps.  That 's  what  it  is  : 
caps." 

" '  Caps '  ? "  repeated  Dick. 

"  Yes :  caps,  and  aprons,  and  old-fashioned 
dresses,  at  a  tea-party." 

"  Oh  !  that 's  it,"  repeated  Dick.  "  Couldn't 
imagine  what  it  was." 

"  It  will  be  fine,"  said  the  old  lady,  in  a  tone  of 
enthusiasm.  "  Folks  are  coming  back  to  the 
old  times.  Wonder  if  the  young  fellows  are 
going  in  knee-breeches  and  stockings.  They 
ought  to  go." 

"  Sam  and  Hetty,"  said  Farmer  Snell  to  his 
tall  son  and  angular  daughter,  "  you  go  upstairs, 
and  dress  up  in  the  old  fashion.  Your  mother, 
Hetty,  will  let  you  take  her  wedding  gown ;  and, 
Sam,  you  will  find  the  knee-breeches  and  stock- 
ings in  the  old  trunk  beneath  the  stairs." 

"  No,  you  don't !  "  said  Sam. 

"  Yes,  do,"  said  Dick,  seconding  Farmer 
Snell. 

"  I  'm  off,"  exclaimed  Sam,  disappearing 
through  the  window. 

The  politic  ones  in  Dornfield  commended 
Miss  Milton's  idea  of  such  a  party  more  and 
more,  as  the  time  approached  for  its  occurrence. 
It  happened  that  many  families  which  had  hith- 


A    TEA-PARTY.  177 

erto  held  less  prominent  positions  in  society 
than  others  now  came  to  the  front,  by  reason  of 
their  accumulated  heirlooms.  And  so  the  vil- 
lage society  promised  for  once  to  meet  on  a  level 
of  good  feeling, 

It  was  to  be  expected  that  the  Milltownites 
should  ridicule  the  affair,  and  call  it  an  old- 
grandmothers'  tea  fight.  The  ladies,  neverthe- 
less, in  Milltown  were  intensely  excited  about  it, 
and  talked  of  sending  over  spies  to  give  accounts 
of  the  dresses.  They  were  dissuaded  from  this 
step  by  their  lords,  who  remarked,  cynically, 
that  all  they  had  to  do  was  to  let  the  old  maids 
in  Dornfield  alone,  and  all  would  come  out. 

At  length  the  much-expected  afternoon  ar- 
rived. The  day  was  a  beautiful  one  in  June. 
The  Miltons'  lawn  had  been  lately  clipped,  and 
was  soft  as  velvet.  Mr.  Milton  had  had  a  large 
tent  spread,  and  had  planted  his  azaleas  in  pots 
on  the  green  turf  beneath  the  canvas.  The 
azaleas,  covered  with  a  mass  of  white,  scarlet, 
pink,  and  mauve  colored  flowers,  had  been  care- 
fully trimmed  in  pyramids  and  globes,  and  ex- 
cited the  admiration  of  the  rapidly  arriving 
guests.  Upon  the  lawn  in  front  of  the  house 
were  placed  little  tables,  with  chairs  ;  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  evergreens  were  the  tables  at  which 
ice-cream,  tea  and  coffee,  and  other  refreshments, 
could  be  obtained.  Among  the  young  ladies 


178  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

who  were  dressed  in  Martha  Washington  caps, 
white  aprons,  and  short  dresses,  were  to  be 
seen  Miss  Milton  and  Rose  Snevel.  Miss  Mil- 
ton was  the  pride  of  her  uncle's  heart,  as  she 
moved  gracefully  hither  and  thither.  His  eyes 
glistened  with  pride,  and  he  held  up  his  teacup 
repeatedly,  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  her 
cross  the  sward  in  order  to  reach  him. 

"  She  looks  deusedly  like  an  English  girl," 
said  Grandhurst  to  his  friends  the  Silvers,  who 
had  taken  one  of  the  tables.  "There's  nothing 
American-looking  about  her." 

"  Except  her  beauty,"  said  Mrs.  Silver,  with  a 
slight  tone  of  patriotism  ;  "  for  you  must  ac- 
knowledge the  beauty  of  American  girls." 

"  It  is  generally  of  another  kind,"  said  Mr. 
Silver ;  "  a  kind  of  beauty  like  that  of  some 
exquisitely  handsome  lilies,  of  which  the  corolla 
slips  off  at  the  touch,  and  leaves  only  bare,  frag- 
mentary stamens." 

"  Fine  face  she  has,"  said  Mrs.  Silver,  looking 
up  at  Miss  Milton  as  she  passed,  with  a  beaming 
look  ;  "  one  of  those  faces  which  compels  you 
to  believe  that  it  is  the  exponent  of  all  that  is 
lovely  and  good  within." 

"  My  wife  is  in  love  with  that  girl,"  said  her 
husband.  "  Women  have  their  loves  among 
women,  you  know.  Now,  there's  Miss  Snevel : 
she  is  much  more  to  my  taste." 


A    TEA-PARTY.  179 

The  two  looked  in  the  direction  which  he 
pointed.  Rose  was  helping  to  ice-cream,  at  a 
table  beside  a  rookery,  which  was  covered  with 
a  mass  of  beautiful  ferns.  The  white  cap,  with 
its  large,  full  top  and  its  snowy  frill,  was  placed 
upon  the  back  of  her  head,  and  her  blonde 
hair  was  puffed  up  somewhat  more  than  usual 
in  front,  and  partly  escaped,  notwithstanding 
her  precautions,  in  one  long  wavy  curl  behind. 
She  wore  a  high  ruff,  and  her  mother's  lilac,  fig- 
ured silk,  with  its  short  skirts  ;  and  her  dainty 
feet  were  clad  in  bronzed  slippers,  with  pink 
roses  for  bows. 

"  She  is  handsome,  —  by  Jove  !  "  exclaimed 
Grandhurst.  "A  Marie  Antoinette  at  Petit 
Trianon." 

"  No  :  you  mean  a  beautiful  rose  of  Dornfield, 
in  America,"  said  Miss  Milton,  who,  in  passing, 
heard  and  understood  his  remark. 

"  Patriotic  now  and  always,"  said  Mrs.  Silver, 
smiling.  "  Molly,  your  party  is  going  to  be  a 
great  success.  How  lovely  those  azaleas  are ! 
and  what  a  pretty  sight  the  people  make  upon 
the  lawn ! " 

"  Yes,  the  azaleas  are  pretty,  and  I  think 
we  shall  have  a  fine  time ;  but  what  a  pity  it  is 
that  all  the  people  didn't  come  in  old-fashioned 
clothes  !  Why  couldn't  every  one  enter  into  the 
thing  heartily,  and  break  away  from  the  present 


l8o  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

tyranny  of  fashion  ?  Now,  Mrs.  Silver,  you  have 
come  with  your  long  train,  and  your  costume 
d  la  mode ;  why  couldn't  you  have  dressed,  just 
for  once,  in  the  old  style  ? " 

"  I  haven't  any  old-style  dress,"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Silver :  "  all  my  dresses  were  made  in  Paris." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Silver  might  have  come  in  knee- 
breeches." 

"  Sorry  I  couldn't,"  said  Mr.  Silver  ;  "  but  the 
thinness  of  my  limbs,  and  the  abundant  ward- 
robe of  a  London  tailor,  effectually  prevented 
me." 

"  What  a  pity  !  "  said  Miss  Milton.  "  And  you 
Mr.  Grandhurst,  also,  in  your  London  coat. 
Why,  I  certainly  thought  I  should  see  you  in 
knickerbockers.  They  do  wear  knickerbockers 
abroad,  don't  they  ?  It  is  so  hard  to  get  many 
Americans  of  the  present  day  to  think  and  act 
for  themselves.  Now,  there  comes  Farmer  Snell 
and  his  wife,  dressed  as  they  should  be,  —  in 
the  real  old  style.  I  'm  going  to  thank  them 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart.  I  declare  they 
do  look  funny,  though.  I  mustn't  laugh.  Now, 
it  is  too  bad  :  you  can  see  the  folks  are  looking 
at  them  in  an  amused  way.  They  will  be  the 
only  ones  here  dressed  in  the  real  old  style. 
I  must  run  and  make  my  uncle  put  on  his  knee- 
breeches,  to  make  Mr.  Snell  feel  less  awkward." 
Thus  saying,  she  ran  in  the  direction  of  the 
house. 


A    TEA-PARTY.  l8l 

"  Good-hearted  girl !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Silver. 
"  She  hit  you,  Francis  ;  and  you  also,  Mr.  Grand- 
hurst." 

"  I  choose  to  show  my  independence  in  being 
hit,"  said  Mr.  Silver.  "  Now  look  at  old  Snell. 
Should  you  want  me,  or  any  human  being,  to 
make  such  a  guy  of  himself  ?  " 

Farmer  Snell  and  wife,  not  being  able  to  per- 
suade Sam  and  Hetty  to  go  in  their  grandfather's 
and  grandmother's  clothes,  actuated  by  the  en- 
thusiasm for  old  times  which  the  conversations 
of  late  had  excited,  —  for  Grandmother  Snell 
had  kept  them  up  until  the  small  hours,  for 
many  nights,  during  the  past  week,  listening  to 
her  reminiscences,  —  had  determined  to  go  to 
the  party  themselves  in  the  old  style,  notwith- 
standing the  protestations  of  Sam  and  Hetty. 
Accordingly,  Mr.  Snell  put  on  a  shirt  with 
immense  ruffles,  and  knee-breeches,  with  black 
silk  stockings,  together  with  old  shoes  with  sil- 
ver buckles,  and  took  his  large  felt  hat  under 
his  arm  ;  for  Sam  set  up  such  a  shout  when  he 
saw  it  on  his  father,  that  he  almost  shook  a 
well-settled  determination.  Mrs.  Snell  wore  a 
red-sprigged  muslin,  with  a  calash  well  over 
her  forehead.  Her  hair  was  arranged  in  great 
puffs,  which  entirely  filled  the  capacious  interior 
of  her  bonnet.  She  wore  over  her  muslin  an 
immense  red  cape  of  light  material,  and  bore  a 


1 82  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

staff  with  a  silver  handle,  which  reached  nearly 
to  her  head.  Sam  drove  his  father  and  mother 
and  Hetty  down  to  the  village  in  a  closed  carry- 
all. Hetty  was  dressed  in  the  modern  style,  in 
a  very  full  pink  silk,  with  her  hair  done  up  in 
crimps  ;  and  Sam  was  in  a  full  suit  of  broad- 
cloth, with  a  bright  neck-tie.  Sam,  however,  did 
not  intend  to  go  into  the  grounds  of  tne  Mil- 
tons'  with  his  father  and  mother.  He  loitered 
behind,  and  peeked  through  the  hedges  to  wit- 
ness their  reception.  As  he  saw  them  go  up 
the  walk,  —  stared  at  by  the  fashionables,  and 
laughed  at  by  the  young  village  maidens  who 
had  been  his  companions  at  previous  Dornfield 
festivities,  —  he  broke  out  from  the  hedgerow, 
kicked  up  his  heels  with  a  gesture  of  fun  min- 
gled with  a  comical  expression  of  anguish,  and 
set  off  towards  home,  repeating,  "Dad  and  ma 
have  made  fools  of  themselves,  sure ! " 

Miss  Milton  found  her  uncle  on  the  piazza, 
talking  with  old  Justice  Tooms,  from  Milltown. 
She  hurriedly  informed  him  of  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Snell. 

"  I  '11  go  and  put  on  a  pair  of  knee-breeches, 
right  off !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Glad  you  put  me  in 
mind  of  it,  Molly.  Farmer  Snell  is  an  excellent 
man.  I  wouldn't  have  his  feelings  hurt  for  the 
world.  If  they  laugh  at  him,  they  must  laugh  at 
me  too.  I  thought  of  doing  it  before.  It  was 


A    TEA-PARTY.  183 

the  proper  thing ;  and  Farmer  Snell  and  Mis- 
tress Snell  have  given  us  a  good  rebuke,  by  their 
independence."  Thus  saying,  he  excused  him- 
self, and  ran  off  like  a  boy. 

"Why  didn't  you  come  in  knee-breeches, 
too,  Mr.  Tooms  ? "  Miss  Milton  exclaimed.  "  You 
would  have  looked  so  grand  in  them." 

"  It  don't  make  any  difference  what  we  old 
men  wear,"  replied  the  justice,  taking  a  pinch 
of  snuff.  "Why  don't  you  pitch  into  the  young 
chaps,  hey  ? " 

"  We  worship  age  to-day,"  said  Miss  Milton. 
"  Oh,  dear,  dear !  I  've  forgotten  that  I  left  Mr. 
Grandhurst  holding  a  pitcher  of  milk  in  one 
hand,  and  a  sugar-bowl  in  the  other.  '  What  a 
bore '  it  will  be  !  And  '  how  deused  awkward  ! ' ' 
Thus  saying,  she  disappeared,  with  a  quick  cour- 
tesy. 

The  old  justice  laughed,  as  he  shook  his  head 
at  her,  and  then  fell  to  dreaming  of  a  Martha 
Washington  tea-party,  way  in  the  past ;  and  of 
a  young  girl  of  whom  Miss  Milton  suddenly 
reminded  him. 

Farmer  Snell  and  wife  found  it  very  awkward, 
as  they  advanced  up  the  lawn,  to  be  the  cyno- 
sure of  all  eyes.  They  met  the  Misses  Brown 
in  fashionable  modern  party  attire,  with  merely 
little  apologies  for  caps  upon  their  heads,  who 
laughed  politely  as  they  bowed.  Mrs.  Cramer 


1 84  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

immediately  ran  out  of  a  group  of  observers,  who 
were  convulsed  with  laughter,  and,  with  smil- 
ing face,  began  to  closely  examine  Mrs.  Snell's 
attire. 

"  Why,  my  dear,  where  did  you  get  all  these 
things  ?  Oh,  my  !  ha,  ha  !  Well,  now,  isn't  that 
curious,  —  stick  and  all  ? " 

Mr.  Milton  by  this  time  advanced  down  the 
lawn,  clad  in  old-fashioned  costume,  —  with  wig, 
ruffles,  and  ornamented  coat,  slit  very  high  in 
the  back,  and  his  fine  calves  showing  to  great 
advantage  in  white  hose.  He  greeted  Mrs.  Snell 
with  the  deep  courtesy  of  the  olden  time  ;  putting 
one  hand  upon  his  heart,  and  taking  a  dancing 
step. 

"Now,  this  is  what  I  call  doing  the  right 
thing,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Dame  Snell,  allow  me  to 
conduct  you  to  the  tea-table."  Thus  saying,  he 
offered  his  arm,  and  the  two  swept  through  the 
guests,  who  ceased  to  look  amused.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Snell  had  evidently  done  the  proper  thing. 

"  Wished  I  had  put  on  my  mother's  brocaded 
gown  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Brown.  "  Great  deal 
finer  than  that  sprigged  muslin  of  Mrs.  Snell." 

After  the  arrival  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snell,  a  few 
more  of  the  old  inhabitants  arrived  in  the  cos- 
tumes of  the  past.  The  waitresses  were  gener- 
ally dressed  in  Martha  Washington  attire  ;  but 
the  village  maidens  and  their  beaux  were  rigged 
out  in  their  best  modern  costumes. 


A    TEA-PARTY.  185 


"  It  would  be  a  pretty  affair,"  said  Grandhurst, 
looking  at  the  groups  of  people  scattered  among 
the  trees,  and  speaking  to  Miss  Gould,  who 
happened  to  be  beside  him,  "  if  there  was  only 
something  distinctive  in  the  costumes,  —  some- 
thing characteristic  in  the  surroundings.  .  But 
there  is  the  modern  house  of  the  Miltons,  with 
its  French  roof,  and  its  American,  senseless  com- 
bination of  a  Roman  villa  and  the  Parthenon  ; 
and  here  we  are  in  an  English  garden,  with 
people  wandering  about  in  heterogeneous  attire. 
Now,  in  Normandy,  one  could  see  something  at 
a  village  fete" 

"  Oh,  how  I  should  love  to  go  to  Normandy !  " 
said  Miss  Gould,  with  a  sigh.  "  There  isn't  any 
to  see  in  America,  is  there,  Mr.  Grandhurst  ? 
Do  you  suppose  we  shall  ever  get  over  our 
chromo  civilization  ? " 

Her  companion  thought  that  something  might 
come  out  of  the  whirlpool  in  the  future. 

"  Even  this  old  costume  —  this  Martha  Wash- 
ington affair  —  has  nothing  innate  about  it :  it  is 
a  mongrel  affair,  — part  English  and  part  French, 
of  the  age  of  Louis  Philippe,"  said  he. 

Presently,  the  lawn  was  covered  with  vil- 
lagers, and  the  f$te  was  at  its  height.  A  band 
discoursed  sweet  music  for  a  time  ;  and  then 
played  for  dancers,  in  the  long  dining-hall  of  the 
house.  The  minister  of  the  prominent  church 


1 86  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

in  Dornfield,  who  had  been  lately  preaching  a 
series  of  sermons  against  the  sin  of  dancing, 
thereby  provoking  much  criticism  from  the  more 
liberal  church  societies  in  Milltown,  had  been 
talking  in  a  merry  way  with  the  chief  ladies  of 
his  church,  as  they  ate  their  ice-cream,  in  a  cor- 
ner of  the  piazza.  But  his  countenance  immedi- 
ately lengthened  when  he  heard  the  dance-music, 
and  all  the  faces  of  those  about  him  sympathized. 

"  I  have  my  fears  about  Mr.  Milton's  conduct 
in  these  ball  matters,"  said  Deacon  Brown.  "  I 
fear  that  he  is  encouraging  dangerous  notions 
among  the  young  men.  There  is  an  increase 
of  drinking  and  idleness." 

"I  fear  so,  too,"  said  the  minister,  with  a  deep 
sigh.  "  The  young  men  are  not  at  the  prayer- 
meetings,  and  I  see  even  Richard  Softy,  our 
Sunday-school  teacher,  whirling  in  the  dance." 

Dick  certainly  did  not  look  very  unhappy,  or 
full  of  compunction,  as  he  danced  with  Rose 
Snevel  on  his  arm.  He  had  lounged  about  for 
a  long  time,  feeling  wretchedly,  as  he  beheld  Ned 
Black  and  Miss  Milton  much  together.  But  a 
sudden  determination  he  had  formed  to  flirt  with 
Rose  had  somehow  given  him  great  pleasure. 
Wherever  he  went  with  Miss  Snevel,  her  beauty 
attracted  immense  attention,  much  to  Dick's  de- 
light ;  for  his  appearance  with  her  might  awaken 
unpleasant  feelings  in  Miss  Molly's  breast.  Rose, 


A    TEA-PARTY.  1 87 

on  her  part,  was  actuated  by  the  same  motives. 
She  had  cast  appealing  glances  at  Ned  Black, 
earlier  in  the  afternoon,  as  she  helped  him  with 
ice-cream,  which  he  seemed  always  to  desire 
for  some  one  at  a  distance  ;  but  she  had  met  no 
response  in  the  look  of  his  handsome  eyes.  He 
was  extremely  attentive  to  Miss  Milton ;  and 
that  young  lady  seemed  to  be  very  well  pleased 
to  have  him  with  her.  Rose  proudly  repressed 
the  desire  to  retire  silently,  and  seek  her  quiet 
room  to  pour  out  her  anguish  ;  and  met  the 
resolve  of  Dick  with  a  similar  resolution.  He 
fanned  her,  as  she  languished  upon  his  arm,  dur- 
ing the  pauses  in  the  dance.  They  sought  nooks 
which  were  in  full  view  of  people  in  general,  and 
especially  of  Ned  Black  and  Miss  Milton,  who 
were  dancing  together,  and  were  apparently  ab- 
sorbed in  each  other's  society.  Their  conduct 
was  much  criticised  by  the  ladies  who  boarded 
at  the  old  inn.  "  Miss  Snevel's  pretty  limbs 
were  too  much  displayed  by  her  old-fashioned 
dress.  Shouldn't  think  she  would  be  there  with- 
out her  father  or  a  matron.  By  the  way,  where 
was  her  father  ?  "  As  if  to  answer  this  question 
for  himself,  Mr.  Snevel  appeared  upon  the  lawn, 
in  the  beautiful  glow  of  the  evening.  He  was 
dressed  with  extreme  care  in  the  costume  of  an 
English  gentleman.  His  silk  hat  had  a  very 
broad  brim  ;  and,  as  he  took  it  off,  with  a  long 


1 88  THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

wave  of  the  arm,  —  and  he  did  so  very  frequently, 
—  one  was  conscious  of  the  perfect  propriety  of 
his  lavender  gloves.  Every  one  could  see,  how- 
ever, that  Mr.  Snevel  was  much  the  worse  for 
liquor.  It  was,  undoubtedly,  not  common  liquor, 
such  as  could  be  obtained  in  low  places:  it  was 
the  best  old  wine  at  a  late  dinner  at  Mr.  Ban- 
dy's ;  but  there  was  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Snevel 
was  intoxicated.  The  news  spread  like  light- 
ning among  the  guests.  Ned  Black  saw  him 
among  the  first,  as  he  went  out  to  get  a  glass 
of  water  for  Miss  Milton.  His  better  nature 
prompted  him  to  endeavor  to  induce  him  to  go 
home,  or  to  retire  into  some  out-of-the-way 
chamber,  and  bathe  his  head  in  cold  water,  in 
order  to  spare  Rose  the  shock  of  meeting  him. 
But  he  said  to  himself,  "  The  old  cock  won't  go 
with  me.  I  should  only  provoke  a  scene.  I  don't 
see  as  I  'm  called  upon  in  any  way."  So  he  went 
back  to  Miss  Milton.  Mr.  Snevel  made  his  way 
into  the  ball-room,  with  an  excessive  manifesta- 
tion of  courtesy,  bowing  very  low  to  the  old 
ladies,  and,  in  his  effort  at  recovering  his  would- 
be-erect  position,  running  into  them,  much  to 
their  consternation.  The  dancers  stood  aside  for 
him  with  alacrity,  and  he  made  his  zig-zag  way 
down  the  hall ;  passed  by  Rose,  who  sat  like  a 
statue,  cold  and  motionless,  with  deep  rings 
about  her  eyes  ;  and,  without  discovering  her, 


A    TEA-PARTY.  189 


disappeared  upon  the  piazza.  Rose  had  been  in 
an  unnatural  state  of  gayety  ;  and  had  drawn  the 
attention  of  all  upon  herself,  by  her  fascinating 
ways  ;  and  had  provoked  much  criticism,  as  we 
have  seen.  She  was  conscious  of  her  father's 
coming,  by  a  strange  presentiment,  and  lifted 
her  eyes,  in  the  act  of  gazing  coquettishly  at 
Dick,  only  to  see  Mr.  Snevel  reeling  through  the 
room,  and  to  behold  the  scrutinizing  looks  and 
the  evidences  of  scandal  ready  to  burst  forth. 
The  room  seemed  to  swim  around,  and  the 
figures  of  the  people  were  turned  into  demons, 
who  pointed  at  her  with  their  long  fingers,  and 
danced  like  Indians  about  a  victim  at  the  stake. 
She  uttered  a  low  moan,  and  fell  in  a  fainting- 
fit. Dick  instantly  seized  her  in  his  arms,  and 
bore  her  out  into  the  air.  Miss  Milton  rushed 
to  aid  him,  leaving  Black  standing  against  the 
wall.  The  people  ran  together  in  knots.  Dick 
whispered  to  Miss  Milton,  "  I  will  get  her  father 
out  of  the  way ; "  and  forced  his  way  out  of  the 
crowd  which  gathered  around  them.  In  doing 
so  he  ran  against  Black,  who  was  coming  forward 
with  a  glass  of  water. 

"  Look  here,"  said  Black  ;  "  look  out  where 
you  are  going,  won't  you  ?" 

Dick  elbowed  him  to  one  side,  with  a  con- 
temptuous look,  and  hastened  in  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Snevel.  He  found  that  person  in  the 


1 90  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

charge  of  Mr.  Milton,  and,  on  rapidly  explaining 
the  state  of  affairs,  found  a  ready  coadjutor  in 
him.  Mr.  Milton's  warm  heart  was  excessively 
pained  by  the  occurrence. 

Rose  in  a  short  while  recovered.  Bobbie,  who 
had  had  the  superintendence  of  the  post-of- 
fice which  had  been  established  at  a  corner  of 
the  lawn,  for  the  humorous  or  romantic  letters 
which  it  was  customary  to  send  on  such  occa- 
sions, heard  that  his  sister  had  fainted.  He 
sprang  over  the  lawn,  forced  his  way  to  her,  and 
put  his  arms  tightly  about  her.  Rose  smiled 
faintly  as  she  met  his  eager  look,  and  asked  him 
to  take  her  home.  Miss  Milton,  in  the  most 
sympathetic  way,  took  her  to  her  own  chamber, 
and  tried  to  prevail  upon  her  to  rest  there.  She 
showed  her  her  easy-chair,  with  all  its  appliances 
for  invalids  ;  sent  for  some  wine  ;  and  took  both 
of  Rose's  tremulous  hands  in  her  own  warm 
ones.  But  Rose  was  firm  in  her  intention,  and 
presently  was  conducted  home  by  her  brother. 
Miss  Milton,  after  leaving  Rose,  met  Mr.  Gra- 
ham. The  look  of  pallor  upon  his  face,  and  his 
impetuous  manner  of  questioning,  betrayed  his 
secret  to  her  in  an  instant.  And  her  sorrow  for 
Rose  was  quickly  turned  to  a  feeling  of  joy  ; 
for  there  was  happiness  in  store  for  her  beauti- 
ful friend  yet,  and  there  was  no  danger  of  her 
losing  Dick  as  a  friend. 


A    TEA-PARTY.  IQI 

Hardly  had  the  gossip  and  excitement  sub- 
sided, before  another  event  occurred.  In  send- 
ing her  invitations,  by  some  accident  Miss 
Milton  had  omitted  the  name  of  O'Callahan. 
The  latter  instantly  felt  that  the  Miltons  were 
ashamed  of  him,  and  were  only  looking  upon 
him  as  a  tool.  He  drank  savagely  of  the  liquor 
which  Black  had  secretly  put  in  his  way,  in 
a  closet  adjoining  their  rooms.  As  he  drank, 
he  brooded  more  and  more  upon  his  wrongs. 
He  would  be  even  with  the  Yankees  yet.  He 
would  see  if  they  could  treat  him  with  disdain, 
because  he  was  a  poor  Irish  boy.  The  O'Calla- 
hans  were  descended  from  the  early  kings  of 
Ireland.  Presently  he  sprang  up,  dressed  him- 
self in  his  light  pantaloons,  which  clung  to  limbs 
not  of  the  straightest,  until  they  reached  his 
pointed,  turn-up-at-the-end  shoes,  when  they 
suddenly  flared  out  like  a  sailor's  ;  and,  seizing  a 
stick,  started  for  the  scene  of  festivities.  He 
was  in  his  most  quarrelsome  mood,  and  reeled 
over  the  grounds  with  his  hat  over  his  brows, 
elbowing  savagely  all  who  happened  to  be  in 
his  way.  He  pushed  the  people  aside  at  the 
entrance  of  the  ball-room,  and  strode  among  the 
crowd  of  dancers,  with  his  hat  still  upon  his 
head,  bestowing  scowls  right  and  left. 

"  There  's  Pat ! "  exclaimed  Miss  Milton, 
clasping  her  hands.  "  Oh,  dear !  I  forgot  to  in- 


1 92  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

vite  him,  I  declare!  and  he  has  been  drinking 
again,  and  is  evidently  furious  at  our  neglect. 
What  shall  I  do  ?  He  will  provoke  uncle  by  his 
manners.  Where  is  Mr.  Black."  Thus  saying, 
she  ran  about  in  search  of  the  latter.  Mean- 
while Pat  had  offered  his  arm,  with  a  real  Irish 
skip  of  his  legs,  to  Miss  Hetty  Snell,  to  lead  her 
forth  to  the  dance,  still  keeping  his  hat  sav- 
agely over  his  eyebrows.  As  the  young  girl 
drew  away  in  affright,  he  shook  his  stick  above 
his  head. 

"  I  'm  a  raal  Irish  gentleman  of  the  thrue  sort, 
and  demane  meeself  in  asking  a  Yankee  to 
dance  with  me.  Shoo ! "  Thus  saying,  he 
stamped  his  foot  upon  the  floor. 

"  Oh,  dear  !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Milton,  looking 
in  at  the  window,  in  her  wild  flight  after  Ned 
Black,  "  where  can  he  be  ?  Pat  will  ruin  the 
whole  party ;  and  we  shall  have  such  a  scene ! 
No  one  must  offend  him  !  No  one  must !  I  'm 
so  afraid  my  uncle  will  forget  himself." 

Pat  presently,  in  a  lordly  way,  passed  out  of 
the  ball-room,  and  sought  the  place  of  refresh- 
ments. His  eye  presently  caught  sight  of  the 
place  where  tea  and  coffee  had  been  dispensed ; 
and,  walking  up  to  it  unsteadily,  he  shouted, 
"  Is  there  no  one  to  do  the  honors  of  the  ave- 
ning?  thin,  be  Jabers,  Pat  O'Callahan  is  fit  to  do 
them  for  himself!"  and  he  essayed  to  pour  out 


A    TEA-PARTY.  193 

a  cup  of  coffee.  While  thus  engaged,  Miss  Mil- 
ton came  upon  him  suddenly. 

"  Why,  Mr.  O'Callahan  !  why  did  you  not  come 
earlier  ?  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Let  me  pour  out  that 
coffee  for  you.  You  must  have  some  ice-cream 
too."  Thus  saying,  she  beckoned  to  the  young 
girl  who  had  taken  Rose's  place  at  the  refresh- 
ment table. 

Pat  glared  at  her ;  and  then  made  a  motion  as 
if  he  would  remove  his  hat,  the  beauty  of 
Miss  Milton  evidently  making  an  impression 
upon  him. 

"  I  was  not  axed,"  he  replied,  cocking  his  hat 
afresh  at  the  remembrance  of  his  wrongs. 

"  By  some  oversight,  your  invitation  was  not 
sent ;  but  it  was  a  mistake,  Pat.  We  all  wanted 
you." 

"  It 's  blarney,"  said  Pat,  savagely. 

"  Indeed,  it  is  not,"  replied  Miss  Milton,  heap- 
ing delicacies  upon  his  plate. 

"  I  '11  belave  you,  if  you  '11  dance  with  me." 

"  Dance  with  you ! "  exclaimed  Miss  Milton, 
with  a  flutter  of  apprehension. 

"  Yes :  right  among  the  folks  there,  time 
with  the  music,  keeping  step  with  the  best  of 
em." 

At  that  moment  Ned  Black  came  in  sight. 
His  heart  gave  a  quick  leap,  as  he  caught  sight 
of  O'Callahan.  In  leaving  him  a  supply  of 


194  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

liquor,  he  had  never  suspected  that  he  would  be  so 
bold  as  to  force  himself  into  the  presence  of  the 
Miltons.  He  thought  that  Miss  Milton  looked 
at  him  in  an  accusing  way  ;  but  it  was  only  a 
suggestion  of  his  own  conscience.  She  was  de- 
lighted to  meet  him  ;  for  he  would  see  to  O'Calla- 
han.  The  latter  greeted  the  approach  of  Black, 
at  first,  with  an  assumption  of  great-  boldness  ; 
but  presently  allowed  himself  to  be  led  into  the 
kitchen,  where  he  was  entertained  in  a  right 
hospitable  way  by  some  of  his  own  country- 
women. 

Notwithstanding  these  unpleasant  occurrences, 
the  Martha  Washington  party  was  a  decided 
success.  The  afternoon  had  closed  with  a  beau- 
tiful, glowing  sunset ;  and  the  company  strolled 
over  the  lawn,  and  visited  the  azalea  tent,  or 
sat  upon  the  broad  veranda,  listening  to  the 
sweet  music.  The  early  twilight  drew  light, 
pearly,  green  lines  down  the  lines  of  hedges, 
and  around  the  masses  of  trees,  as  if  they  were 
its  last  line  of  fortifications  against  the  encroach- 
ing darkness.  The  full  moon  rose  in  the  purple 
madder  of  the  East,  and  slowly  cleared  her 
serene  countenance  of  its  red,  warlike  tint,  as 
she  ascended  into  the  deeper  indigo  of  the  clear 
sky.  Lovers  paired  off,  and  found  out-of-the-way 
nooks,  or  walked  slowly  beneath  the  overarch- 
ing elms  of  the  avenues.  The  elders  discussed 


A    TEA-PARTY.  195 

the  dresses  and  manners  of  the  old  times,  or 
watched  the  dancers  go  through  their  evolutions 
in  cotillons  or  Virginia  reels.  Mrs.  Snell  and 
Mr.  Milton  led  one  of  the  former,  and  were 
much  observed.  Mrs.  Snell  was  delighted. 
The  bright  color  mounted  to  her  cheeks,  and 
she  could  hardly  rest  a  moment  on  her  feet. 
She  courtesied  very  low  to  Mr.  Milton's  old- 
time  bow ;  and,  as  they  turned,  her  dress  flew 
partly  open  in  front,  and  showed  her  beautiful 
damask  petticoat.  Mr.  Snell,  also,  showed 
astonishing  aptitude,  with  Miss  Milton  as  a 
partner. 

"  Snell,  this  is  glorious  ! "  exclaimed  Tom 
Milton. 

"  It  is,  and  no  mistake,"  replied  Farmer  Snell, 
in  a  glow  of  enthusiasm. 

"  The  rest  of  these  folks,  who  didn't  have  the 
independence  to  come  right  out  in  their  old 
clothes,"  said  Mr.  Milton,  with  a  hearty  laugh, 
"  aren't  having  half  so  good  a  time." 

In  truth,  they  didn't  seem  to  be  so  joyous. 
The  farmer  folk  had  begun  to  draw  to  one  side 
among  themselves  ;  the  literary  people  of  Dorn- 
field  were  gathered  about  the  Silvers  ;  and  the 
members  of  the  strict  church  sat  around  the 
minister,  looking  very  solemn. 

"  These  two  sad  occurrences,"  said  Deacon 
Brown,  "  convince  me  that  Mr.  Milton  is  doing 


1 96  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

wrong  in  countenancing,  to  such  a  degree,  this 
ball  excitement." 

"  I  fear,"  said  the  minister,  in  a  ghostly  whis- 
per, "  that  Mr.  Milton  does  not  throw  himself 
upon  the  side  of  temperance  ;  and  he  further- 
more shows  a  spirit  of  rivalry  which  bids  fair  to 
alienate  us  still  farther  from  our  neighbors  of 
Milltown." 

"  I  keep  my  son  carefully  away  from  base  ball," 
said  Deacon  Brown.  "  He  is  a  good  boy,  and 
shows  no  desire  to  run  to  matches." 

"  Your  son  Moses  is  a  fine  boy,"  said  the 
minister.  "  Very  regular  at  church." 

"While  I  live,  he  shall  always  be,"  said  the 
deacon,  with  pride. 

While  the  appearance  of  Pat  did  not  provoke 
much  comment,  Mr.  Snevel's  condition  was  the 
universal  topic  of  conversation.  It  was  dis- 
covered that  Mr.  Graham  went  home  with  him. 

"  Doesn't  it  strike  you,"  said  Mrs.  Cramer, 
addressing  the  group  about  her  generally, 
"that  Mr.  Graham  goes  to  the  Snevels'  pretty 
often  ?  I  notice  that  he  casts  many  glances  at 
Rose." 

"  He  is  the  executor  of  her  aunt's  will,"  said 
Miss  Susan  Brown,  a  maiden  lady,  who  was 
much  interested  in  Graham. 

"Well,  I  pity  Rose  and  Bobbie,  I  declare," 
said  Mrs.  Cramer.  All  present  joined  in  sym- 


A    TEA-PARTY.  197 

pathy  with  her.  Miss  Susan  Brown  hoped  that 
it  would  prove  a  kind  dispensation ;  for  she 
thought  that  Rose  had  always  been  too  proud. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  evening,  Ned  Black 
secured  Miss  Milton's  company,  and  they  had  a 
delightful  stroll  over  the  lawn  together.  He 
found  no  difficulty  in  persuading  her  to  stay  out 
with  him  ;  for  she  was  fascinated  by  his  society, 
and  by  the  splendor  of  the  full  moon.  As  they 
stood  looking  at  the  fountain  in  the  moonlight, 
Dick  Softy  came  up  to  bid  Miss  Milton  good- 
night. He  turned  his  back,  contemptuously, 
upon  Black,  and  did  not  answer  an  observation 
which  Black  addressed  to  him.  The  guests 
were  beginning  to  depart,  and  Miss  Milton  re- 
quested her  escort  to  conduct  her  to  the  house. 
Black  did  so ;  and  then  started  hastily  down  the 
avenue,  and  overtook  Dick. 


198  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 


CHAPTER   X. 

THE    DIREFUL    FIGHT. 

"  T  WANT  an  apology  for  your  insults,  sir,"  he 
*-  said,  in  a  suppressed  whisper. 

Dick  turned  about  in  the  moonlight,  and  sur- 
veyed his  antagonist. 

"  I  am  not  conscious  of  having  insulted  you," 
he  replied,  looking  at  Black  calmly. 

"  You  struck  me  as  I  was  carrying  that  glass 
of  water.  You  treated  me  in  a  contemptuous 
way  before  that  young  lady." 

"  I  could  readily  give  reasons  for  so  doing," 
said  Dick;  "but  I  don't  choose  to."  And  he 
turned  his  back :  as  he  did  so,  Black  grasped 
him,  insolently,  by  the  shoulder :  but  he  had 
hardly  done  so  before  Dick  had  turned,  and 
given  him  a  blinding  blow  between  the  eyes. 
He  staggered  about  the  road  ;  and  then,  sud- 
denly recovering,  took  off  his  coat. 

"  Not  here  :  there  are  too  many  people,"  said 
Dick,  in  his  old,  languid  manner.  "  Let  us  go 
behind  yonder  wood."  Thus  saying,  he  got 


THE  DIREFUL   FIGHT.  199 

over  the  fence,  and  led  the  way  to  the  scene  of 
their  old  encounter. 

Their  way  led  through  a  clover-field.  The 
dew  was  gathering  thickly  ;  and  the  pink  blos- 
soms of  the  clover,  which  were  stirred  and 
crushed  by  their  footsteps,  gave  forth  a  fresh 
odor.  They  disturbed  a  stray  cow,  which  had 
broken  away  from  her  tethering  in  a  neighbor- 
ing barn,  and  was  enjoying  a  feast  in  the  moon- 
light. Upon  a  rock,  in  a  neighboring  pasture, 
a  whippoorwill,  quickly  uttered  his  pulsating  cry, 
which  was  answered  from  beyond  the  green 
woods,  right  beneath  the  moon.  Night-hawks 
cleaved  the  air,  with  wings  quickly  changing  in 
purpose.  The  two  young  men  passed  an  old 
farmhouse,  with  its  well-sweep,  beside  which 
stood  two  lovers,  looking  at  the  moon ;  and 
struck  across  the  fields,  in  a  diagonal  direction, 
towards  the  wood.  They  marched  along,  with 
grim  countenances ;  and  their  dark  shadows, 
clearly  cut  in  the  bright  moonlight,  strode  over 
huckleberry  bushes,  and  through  thick  bushes, 
as  if  they  were  great  demons  leading  captive  two 
pygmies. 

"  Here  is  the  place,"  said  Dick,  suddenly  turn- 
ing, and  throwing  aside  his  coat. 

"  You  have  a  very  good  memory,"  said  Black, 
sarcastically. 

"Yes,  and  I  propose  you  shall  remember  it 


200  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

this  time,"  said  Dick;    "for  I  intend    to  whip 
you  once  in  my  life." 

He  had  hardly  spoken  before  his  opponent 
struck  at  him  with  his  left  hand.  Dick,  sud- 
denly throwing  his  head  forward  and  to  the 
right,  warded  the  blow  ;  and,  throwing  his  left 
leg  forward  at  the  same  instant  behind  Black, 
with  a  quick  movement  of  his  arm  threw  him 
heavily.  Black  arose,  somewhat  stunned,  and 
made  a  more  cautious  attack.  He  succeeded  in 
hitting  his  opponent  several  times  ;  but  they  were 
light  blows,  while  Dick's  made  themselves  felt 
on  his  eyes  and  nose.  Dick,  with  a  thrill  of 
savage  satisfaction,  gradually  began  to  feel  his 
superiority ;  and  the  new  man,  which  had  been 
slowly  awakening  in  him,  came  strongly  to  the 
front.  The  two  men  parried  each  others'  blows, 
with  all  the  skill  in  boxing  which  both  pos- 
sessed, the  dull  thud  of  their  hits  seeming  to  be 
quickly  appropriated  by  the  groups  of  silent 
trees.  The  noise  of  their  heavy  breathing,  and 
their  restless  tramp  on  the  grass,  did  not  ascend 
over  the  hillside  which  protected  the  hollow  in 
which  the  fight  took  place.  Occasionally,  a 
crow  had  a  mind  to  rest  in  his  night  flight  upon 
the  top  of  a  neighboring  tall  pine  ;  but  swung 
off,  from  his  intended  perch,  with  outstretched 
claws,  when  he  beheld  the  struggling  forms 
beneath  him.  Black  began  to  feel  one  of  his 


THE  DIREFUL   FIGHT.  2OI 

eyes  closing,  from  the  swelling  of  the  flesh  upon 
his  cheek :  his  first  impulse  was  always  to  win 
at  all  hazards.  He  accordingly  closed  with 
Dick,  by  a  quick  movement,  before  the  latter 
could  prevent  him.  The  two  men  held  each 
other  by  the  shoulders  at  arms'  length,  and 
swayed  from  side  to  side,  striving  to  throw  each 
other.  But  Black's  object  was  not  to  throw  his 
opponent  by  wrestling.  He  felt,  to  his  astonish- 
ment, that  the  pulpy,  effeminate  Dick  Softy 
had  suddenly  grown  hard  and  wiry,  and  he 
found  him  more  than  his  master  at  wrestling. 
He  drew  Dick  closer  and  closer,  by  edging  his 
arms  along  those  of  his  opponent ;  and,  when 
his  head  was  in  near  proximity  to  Dick's,  he 
threw  his  head  upward,  and  then  down,  intend- 
ing to  strike  Dick  in  the  temples  with  his  hard 
frontlet.  He  had  seen  strong  men  felled  in 
that  way  in  a  close  fight,  as  if  they  had  been 
struck  with  a  hammer.  Dick  knew  the  trick ; 
Pat  O'Callahan  had  shown  it  to  him  ;  and, 
dodging  his  head  to  one  side,  he  fell  over  upon 
his  back,  throwing  Black  over  his  head.  Dick 
arose  to  denounce  his  opponent  for  his  under- 
handed method  of  fighting ;  but  Black  was 
stretched  motionless  upon  the  sward,  his  white 
face  gleaming  in  the  moonlight  With  a  quick 
shudder,  Dick  bent  over  him,  and  loosened  the 
collar  about  his  neck,  and  called  to  him  in  a  low, 
9* 


202  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

hoarse  voice.  He  saw  that,  in  falling,  his  oppo- 
nent's head  had  been  brought  in  contact  with  a 
stone.  Dick  ran  to  a  neighboring  brook,  and 
brought  water  in  his  hat,  and  dashed  it  upon 
Black's  face.  Even  in  the  moonlight,  he  could 
see  that  he  had  punished  him  severely ;  for  his 
face  was  much  distorted.  Black  at  length 
opened  his  eyes,  feebly. 

"  I  hope  I  didn't  hurt  you  severely,"  said 
Dick,  in  a  tone  of  compunction. 

Black  sat  up,  in  a  dizzy  manner,  and  held  his 
head  in  his  hands. 

This  gesture  touched  Dick  more  than  words. 
He  knelt  down  beside  his  late  enemy,  and  bathed 
his  face  with  his  handkerchief,  which  he  had 
dipped  in  the  brook.  Black  did  not  answer ;  but 
finally  fell  back  again  in  a  swoon.  Dick,  thor- 
oughly alarmed,  started  to  his  feet,  and  ran 
across  the  fields  to  the  neighboring  farm-house. 
He  found  the  inmates  about  retiring  for  the 
night ;  but,  on  his  appeal,  two  of  the  laboring 
men,  with  a  tired  yawn,  hurriedly  drew  on  their 
boots,  and  went  back  with  him  to  Black.  Dick, 
as  he  ran,  denounced  himself  for  his  fete  pride 
in  the  discovery  of  his  superiority.  The  feeling 
of  exultation  had  turned  in  the  hour  of  triumph 
to  bitterness  ;  for,  if  he  had  killed  Ned  Black, 
what  would  his  own  future  be  ?  He  saw  him- 
self shunned  by  all  those  he  held  most  dear. 


THE  DIREFUL  FIGHT.  203 

The  laboring  men  tramped  along  behind  him  ; 
questioning  him,  with  hurried  breath,  as  to  the 
accident. 

"  Been  fighting !  "  said  one,  as  he  heard  Dick's 
truthful  response. 

"  Tsh  !  "  said  the  other,  in  a  tone  of  pity. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  place,  Ned  Black 
was  still  lying,  pale  and  still,  in  the  moonlight. 
The  men  made  a  chair  with  their  arms,  and  con- 
veyed him  to  the  farm-house.  And  while  they 
swayed  from  side  to  side  with  their  limp  burden, 
stumbling  as  they  found  their  way  back  over  the 
fields,  Dick  ran  hastily  for  the  village  doctor. 
Even  in  that  crisis,  he  did  not  wish  that  he  had 
kept  to  his  old  indolent  ways  and  pursuits  :  a  man 
clings  to  the  possession  of  energy  and  strength 
as  long  as  he  is  a  man.  He  did  regret  forcing 
a  fight  upon  Black  ;  for  his  conscience  told  him 
that  he  could  have  avoided  it.  The  perfection 
of  his  bodily  strength  should  have  had  a  higher 
motive  than  merely  to  vanquish  a  mortal  oppo- 
nent. The  thought  that  he  had  perhaps  killed  a 
man  came  upon  him  with  a  sickening  terror. 
That  white  face  lying  in  the  moonlight  would 
haunt  him  till  his  dying  day.  Even  if  the  law 
spared  him,  he  must  be  a  wanderer  —  from  all  — 
from  that  dear  girl  he  had  known  from  boyhood. 
He  remembered  a  sermon  in  which  the  preacher 
said,  that  the  wave  of  sympathy  which  rolled 


204  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

through  the  breast  of  a  man  who  had  suddenly 
committed  a  crime,  for  the  inmates  of  a  state- 
prison,  had  something  very  spiritual  in  it,  came 
back  to  him. 

Fortunately,  he  found  the  doctor  in,  and  they 
drove  together  to  the  farm-house.  As  they  de- 
scended the  hill,  through  the  dark  shadows  of  the 
rows  of  elms,  and  then  boomed  across  the  narrow 
bridge  which  spanned  the  river,  Dick  related 
the  cause  of  the  accident.  The  doctor,  who  was 
a  silent  man,  shook  his  head,  and  whipped  up 
his  horse.  Although  the  moonlight  was  very 
beautiful,  Dick  felt  that  a  dark  rainy  night 
would  have  been  more  to  his  mind.  As  they 
drove  past  the  grounds  of  the  Miltons,  he  saw 
a  light  shining  in  Miss  Milton's  chamber.  It 
was  soft  and  rosy,  by  contrast  with  the  bright 
silver  sheen  on  the  roofs  of  the  chateau-like 
mansion.  It  seemed  to  look  reproachfully,  over 
the  great  rounded  masses  of  green  foliage,  at 
Dick.  He  recalled  every  look  and  gesture  of 
Miss  Milton.  His  heart  was  stirred  with  a 
great  throb,  as  he  felt  how  necessary  to  him 
had  grown  her  commendation  and  sympathy, 
and  now  by  one  act  he  had  put  himself,  per- 
haps, for  ever  out  of  her  beautiful  world  of  purity 
and  high  standing!  When  they  arrived  at  the 
farm-house,  they  found  the  inmates  attentive 
to  the  wounded  man.  Black  had  recovered  his 


THE  DIREFUL  FIGHT.  205 

consciousness,  but  he  was  a  terrible-looking 
sight,  as  Dick's  eye  glanced  eagerly  at  him  ;  for 
good  Mrs.  Dean,  the  farmer's  wife,  had  covered 
his  face  with  patches  of  brown  paper  soaked  in 
water.  There  was  an  overpowering  odor  of 
camphor  in  the  room ;  and  the  whole  stock  of 
medicines  which  the  house  possessed  were  pa- 
raded upon  the  table.  The  doctor,  with  a  look 
of  contempt  at  the  preparations,  examined  Ned's 
head,  and,  after  a  few  minutes,  informed  Dick,  to 
his  great  joy,  that  there  were  no  bones  broken  ; 
and  that  Black  would  recover  from  his  bruises, 
which,  however,  were  very  severe.  Dick  felt  a 
great  joy  in  his  heart,  and  could  not  do  enough 
for  his  late  adversary ;  who,  however,  accepted  his 
attentions  with  an  ill  grace.  Dick,  as  he  went 
home,  stopped  for  a  moment  to  look  at  the  light 
in  Miss  Milton's  window,  which  still  shone. 
He  knew  now  that  he  loved  her  deeply.  He 
thrilled  with  the  remembrance  of  every  smile 
which  she  had  bestowed  upon  him,  and  thought 
over  her  conversations  with  him,  and  her  vari- 
ous acts  toward  him,  which  might  have  various 
loving  interpretations  or  not.  She  would  know 
that  he  had  vanquished  Ned  Black  ;  his  late  com- 
punctions and  gloomy  forebodings  instantly  left 
him,  and  he  looked  up  at  the  smiling  moon,  and 
hummed  a  bit  of  song,  as  he  walked  along,  very 
conscious  of  his  possession  of  strength  and  energy. 


206  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

Rose,  accompanied  by  her  brother,  with  a  ter- 
rible load  upon  her  heart,  sought  her  home. 
Bobbie,  after  seeing  her  safely  in  her  room,  ran 
back  to  conduct  his  father  away  from  the  party. 
Rose,  with  a  shudder  at  the  dishonor  he  had 
already  brought  upon  his  children  and  upon  his 
name,  sank  upon  her  knees  by  her  bedside. 
Her  hair  escaped  from  the  Martha  Washington 
cap,  and  rolled  in  a  dishevelled  mass  over  her 
shoulders.  Her  high  ruff  was  crushed,  as  she 
tossed  her  head  from  side  to  side  in  an  agony 
of  tears.  The  bitter  thought  that  Ned  Black 
had  neglected  her  the  whole  evening,  and  had 
devoted  himself  to  Miss  Milton,  came  up,  alter- 
nately, with  the  remembrance  of  the  shame  her 
father  had  brought,  and  perhaps  was  still  bring- 
ing, upon  them.  She  started  up,  thinking  that 
she  caught  the  sound  of  his  unsteady  foot- 
steps ;  but  they  were  those  of  a  villager  on  the 
street.  Alas  !  she  read  it  in  the  eyes  of  Black 
that  he  had  ceased  to  love  her,  and  was  deter- 
mined to  free  himself  from  his  secret  engage- 
ment. Indeed,  his  manner  lately  seemed  to 
show  that  he  did  not  recognize  any  tie  between 
them.  Should  he  not  have  escorted  her  to  the 
party,  even  if  she  were  going  in  a  public  capac- 
ity ?  Should  he  not  have  come  to  her  during 
the  evening,  and  asked  her  to  walk  or  dance 
with  him?  Should  he  not  have  aided  her  in 


THE  DIREFUL  FIGHT.  2O/ 

her  bitter  distress  ?  He  had  witnessed  it  all, 
and  hated  her!  She  clutched  her  hands,  and 
sobbed  bitterly.  She  started  up  in  a  moment ; 
for  she  heard  her  father's  voice,  and  the  pathetic, 
manly  little  tones  of  her  brother's  voice,  as  he 
guided  Mr.  Snevel  into  the  house.'  She  heard 
another  voice  too.  It  could  not  be  Ned  Black's  ? 
She  crept  down  the  stairs,  and  found  Graham  sit- 
ting on  the  veranda. 

"  Do  not  be  alarmed,  Miss  Snevel,"  said  he, 
coming  forward,  with  an  air  of  deep  sympathy. 
"  We  kept  Mr.  Snevel  in  a  side  apartment  after 
you  left ;  and,  in  a  little  while,  persuaded  him  to 
return  home.  It  was  well  understood  that  there 
had  been  a  great  dinner  at  Mr.  Bandy's  ;  and  he 
had,  inadvertently,  taken  too  much  wine." 

Rose  thanked  him  in  her  heart  for  so  quickly 
informing  her  of  what  she  wanted  to  know. 
She  noticed  that  he  did  not  say  "  your  father," 
but  "  Mr.  Snevel."  It  seemed  to  imply  a  nice 
feeling  on  his  part,  —  to  separate  the  blame  of  the 
father  from  any  imputation  that  it  involved  any 
shame  to  her.  It  was  a  sweet  thought  to  feel 
that  she  could  expect  keen  sympathy  from  this 
man,  to  whom  she  had  always  gone  for  help  in 
her  money  matters.  She  unburdened  her  heart 
to  him  in  relation  to  her  father.  Graham  tried 
to  make  her  think  that  the  scene  at  the  party 
was  not  so  bad  as  she  thought.  Mr.  Snevel,  he 


208  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

thought,  did  not  walk  very  unsteadily,  and  had 
behaved  with  his  air  of  great  courtesy.  Rose 
thought  bitterly  of  the  hollowness  of  her  father's 
high-bred  ways  ;  but  she  was  somewhat  consoled 
by  Graham's  account.  The  moonlight  tempted 
her  to  be  confidential,  and  she  related  the  long 
pent-up  struggle  which  she  and  her  brother  had 
been  through.  Graham  told  her  that  he  had 
known  it  for  some  time,  and  that  she  had  his 
hearty  sympathy.  Rose  wondered  at  the  touch 
of  feeling  in  the  tones  of  his  voice.  Her  eyes 
wandered  over  his  iron-gray  locks,  and  rested 
upon  the  well-cut  features,  which  were  clearly 
outlined  in  the  moonlight.  He  seemed  to  her 
like  an  elder  brother,  —  not  so  much  older  that 
she  could  not  confide  her  youthful  fancies  to. 
She  felt  more  at  ease,  and  calmer,  as  she  talked 
with  him  ;  and,  when  he  bade  her  good-night,  he 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  even  a  faint  smile 
upon  her  face,  which  had  been  provoked  by  his 
account  of  the  reception  of  Mrs.  Snell's  old- 
fashioned  garments  at  the  party.  When  he  had 
left  her  alone,  Rose  fell  again  to  brooding  over  her 
lover's  neglect.  She  wished  she  had  a  mother  to 
confide  in.  She  sat  in  the  window  while  the 
moonlight  streamed  in,  and  thought  over  all  the 
events  of  the  beautiful  spring  and  early  summer 
months.  They  were  to  have  been  so  full  of 
pleasure,  —  so  bright  with  loving  interviews  and 


THE  DIREFUL  FIGHT.  209 

strolls  in  the  woods,  or  by  the  river.  Instead  of 
this,  her  troubles  had  gradually  increased,  and 
kept  pace  with  the  glory  of  the  coming  sea- 
son. She  would  willingly  die,  if  it  were  not  for 
Bobbie. 

Graham,  as  he  walked  slowly  back  to  his  soli- 
tary lodgings,  was  full  of  thought.  He  had 
noticed  the  increase  of  Ned  Black's  neglect  of 
Rose  from  day  to  day.  At  first,  the  knowledge 
gave  him  a  throb  of  delight,  and  renewed  the 
hope  of  gaining  this  beautiful  girl,  which  he 
thought  he  had  thoroughly  crushed.  Then,  as 
he  saw  evidences  of  Rose's  deep  love  for  the 
young  man,  and  as  he  witnessed  the  paling  of 
her  cheeks  from  day  to  day,  his  feeling  was  sub- 
merged for  the  time  in  anger  at  Black,  and  he 
made  him  the  subject  of  careful  study  and  ob- 
servation. He  knew  of  Ned  Black's  false  entry 
in  the  books  of  the  bank  ;  but  he  carefully  kept 
the  knowledge  which  he  had  gained  to  himself, 
wishing  to  test  the  young  man  still  farther. 
His  speculations  in  Milltown  were  also  known 
to  him.  He  stood  ready  to  save  Black  for  the 
sake  of  Rose.  His  secret  love  for  her  had 
changed  the  entire  current  of  his  thpughts. 
After  all  had  come  out  happily  for  Rose,  he 
should  close  his  business  affairs,  and  wander  in 
Europe  for  some  years.  His  solitary  life  in  his 
room  at  the  boarding-house  would  henceforth  be 


210  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

unendurable.  After  leaving  Rose,  he  walked,  to 
calm  his  tumultuous  feelings,  many  miles  over 
the  country  roads.  All  nature  seemed  to  be 
asleep.  Far  down  in  the  valley  the  farm-houses 
brooded  beneath  the  rounded  masses  of  foliage 
of  the  protecting  elms,  their  roofs  looking  in  the 
moonlight  as  if  they  were  covered  with  snow. 
Not  a  light  was  to  be  seen  :  even  that  which  was 
usually  shining  in  the  window  of  the  sick  man 
who  lived  near  the  cross-roads  was  put  out. 
Either  he  had  recovered,  or  he  had  died,  and 
there  was  no  longer  any  occasion  for  the  light. 
Graham  moodily  thought,  how  some  day  he 
should  go  out  of  life,  with  a  hired  watcher  by 
his  bedside,  a  lonely  old  man.  However,  what 
difference  did  it  make  ?  Would  death  be  any 
harder  ?  Would  it  not  be  easier  ?  He  thought 
of  his  struggles  for  money  and  position.  He 
stood  ready  to  lend  to  the  poorest  beggar  in  the 
street,  to  give  a  moment  of  happiness  to  some 
one,  with  that  which  could  not  gain  him  any. 
The  young  man  who  marries  early,  and  settles 
down  to  his  married  life  before  he  has  got  into 
the  thirties,  may  have  many  responsibilities  and 
quick-coming  cares;  but  he  is  spared  such  a 
struggle  as  came  to  Graham  in  the  years  when 
he  had  thought  that  his  life-plans  were  too 
firmly  fixed  to  be  moved  by  any  thing  less  than 
an  earthquake.  They  had  been  changed  in- 


THE  DIREFUL   FIGHT.  211 

stantly  by  the  smile  of  a  young  girl,  and,  as 
often  happens  to  a  man  with  one  aim,  had  taken 
away  the  spring  of  his  ambition,  and  had  left 
him  in  a  purposeless  condition.  Life  seemed 
utterly  stale  and  profitless,  whichever  way  he 
might  turn. 


212  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 


CHAPTER   XL 

THE    RESCUE. 

r  ["'HE  news  of  Black's  condition  speedily 
-*-  spread  abroad.  It  was  reported  that 
Dick  and  he  had  had  a  quarrel,  and  that  the  for- 
mer had  struck  Black  on  the  head  with  a  stone. 
Immense  indignation  was  expressed,  especially 
among  the  young  men.  The  members  of  the 
ball  nine  came  to  see  their  sick  captain ;  and 
went  away  with  the  impression  that  Dick  had 
done  an  underhanded  thing,  notwithstanding 
their  captain's  apparent  desire  to  shield  Dick. 
Generosity  was  a  beautiful  trait,  they  said  to 
themselves,  in  Black  ;  but  any  one  could  see, 
that,  after  knocking  his  opponent  down,  Dick 
had  pummelled  his  face  black  and  blue.  Dick 
should  be  taught  a  lesson  for  this  conduct';  and 
there  was  much  whispering  and  consulting  to- 
gether in  various  quarters.  Mr.  Tom  Milton, 
on  hearing  of  Black's  state,  immediately  went  to 
see  him.  He  was  sorry  for  the  young  man ; 
and  feared  also  for  the  effect  of  the  accident  on 


THE   RESCUE.  213 


the  base-ball  match,  the  day  appointed  for  which 
was  now  close  at  hand. 

"Molly,"  said  he,  on  his  return,  "don't  you 
ever  invite  Richard  Softy  to  this  house  again. 
He  has  disgraced  himself  in  my  estimation,  and 
in  that  of  all  right-feeling  persons.  I  regard  his 
attack  upon  Mr.  Black  as  simply  murderous  ! 
—  simply  murderous!" 

"  Is  Mr.  Black,  then,  so  much  hurt  ? "  said  his 
niece,  with  a  feeling  of  loyalty  to  her  old  friend, 
Dick,  welling  up  in  her  heart. 

"  Well,  he  seems  to  have  knocked  him  down 
with  a  stone,  and  then  to  have  pounded  his  face 
until  it  is  hardly  recognizable." 

"  How  shocking  !  "  exclaimed  his  niece. 

"  Shocking,  indeed ! "  said  Mr.  Milton,  with 
emphasis.  "  A  young  man  who  is  guilty  of 
such  conduct  should  be  avoided." 

"  I  cannot  believe  it  of  Dick,"  said  Miss 
Milton,  sturdily. 

"  I  found  it  hard  to  believe,"  said  her  uncle. 
"  Black  strives,  like  a  generous  fellow,  to  shield 
Dick ;  but  Dick's  conduct  is  evident  enough, 
and  there  is  no  word  to  express  it  but  '  shameful.' 
We  must  postpone  our  match  for  a  week  at 
least ;  and  I  don't  know  but  longer.  If  Black 
and  O'Callahan  are  knocked  up,  we  shall  have 
made  pretty  braggarts  of  ourselves,  and  shall 
get  whipped  bravely." 


214  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

Miss  Milton  perceived  that  her  uncle's  feel- 
ings for  Black  and  condemnation  of  Dick  were 
a  little  warped  by  his  eagerness  to  win  at  the 
coming  match.  And  she  resolved  to  see  Dick, 
and  learn  the  truth  from  him ;  for  she  had  great 
faith  in  his  honesty.  She  sent  him,  by  the 
hands  of  Bobbie,  a  short  note ;  asking  him  to 
meet  her,  at  the  ford  of  the  river,  the  following 
afternoon.  When  Dick  received  the  note,  he 
was  enchanted  at  first,  and  then  began  to 
think  over  her  reasons  for  desiring  to  see  him. 
Perhaps  she  wanted  him  to  show  her  the  path 
through  the  woods  to  the  clearing  on  Sunset 
Hill ;  but  why  should  she  wish  to  meet  him  at 
the  ford,  and  not  at  her  uncle's  house  ?  He  had 
met  Mr.  Milton,  that  morning,  on  the  village 
street :  he  noticed  that  he  did  not  return  his 
bow ;  but  he  attributed  this  neglect  to  absence 
of  mind  on  the  part  of  the  old  gentleman: 
Could  it  have  been  intentional  ?  Dick  felt  that 
he  was  in  ill-favor  with  the  ball-playing  part  of 
the  community,  and  was  ready  to  see  Mr.  Mil- 
ton take  their  part.  Whatever  reason  Miss 
Milton  had  for  meeting  him,  the  consciousness 
remained  that  the  note  was  written  in  her  dear 
handwriting,  and  that  he  should  have  an  after- 
noon alone  with  her.  How  slowly  the  hours  of 
the  day  glided  by !  He  looked  at  his  watch  con- 
tinually. At  length  the  hour  arrived,  and  he 


THE  RESCUE.  215 


found  himself  at  the  ford.  He  saw  a  bit  of 
blue  dress  through  the  bushes,  and  his  heart 
beat  tumultuously.  Then  Miss  Milton  came  in 
sight,  looking  more  charmingly  than  he  had 
ever  seen  her.  She  wore  a  Gainsborough  hat, 
which  was  looped  up  at  the  side  with  pink  roses. 
She  was  leaning  in  a  pensive  attitude  against  a 
tall  maple,  and  looking  up  the  river.  Her  pi- 
quant features  were  in  a  state  of  unusual  solem- 
nity. She  looked  up,  with  a  sad  smile,  as  Dick 
came  forward. 

"  Have  you  been  waiting  long  ?  "  he  inquired, 
as  he  greeted  her. 

"  Only  a  few  minutes,"  she  answered.  "  I 
sent  for  you,  Dick,  to  inquire  into  this  sad  busi- 
ness about  Ned  Black.  Won't  you  tell  me  all 
about  it?  No,  not  here :  let  us  go  up  the  bank 
of  the  river,  and  sit  over  there  in  that  grove  of 
maples." 

Dick  accompanied  her,  in  silence,  to  the  place 
she  pointed  out.  The  river  had  taken  a  sudden 
turn  at  this  point,  and,  leaving  a  sand-bank  on 
one  side,  had  washed  out  a  deep  bed  beneath  the 
little  knoll,  which  was  covered  with  maples. 
The  denuded  roots  of  a  large  tree  projected  far 
out  over  the  amber-colored  pools  of  the  rippling 
stream  ;  and  had  been  fashioned  by  Dick,  one 
day  when  he  had  visited  the  spot  with  his 
present  companion,  into  a  grotesque  arm-chair. 


2l6  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

Miss  Milton  seated  herself  in  it,  and  pointed 
to  his  old  seat  at  her  feet. 

"  Now,  Dick,"  said  she,  putting  herself  in  a 
listening  attitude,  "  how  was  it  ? " 

"  I  whipped  him,  —  that 's  all,"  said  Dick,  sen- 
tentiously. 

Miss  Milton  looked  at  him,  steadily,  with  a 
look  of  amazement.  Could  he  be  telling  the 
truth?  Ned  Black  was  renowned  for  his 
strength  and  skill. 

"  Did  you  whip  him  fairly  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  It  does  not  become  you  to  ask  a  gentleman 
that  question,"  said  Dick,  proudly,  "  if  you  mean 
to  question  whether  I  used  fair  blows." 

"  I  was  wrong,  I  was  wrong,"  exclaimed  Miss 
Milton,  perceiving  his  look  of  anger.  "  But  it  is 
doubted,  Dick,"  she  continued ;  "  and  I  want  to 
hear  the  truth  from  your  lips." 

"  I  don't  see  why  you  should  doubt  me,  if  all 
the  rest  of  the  world  did,"  said  Dick,  speaking 
thickly. 

"I  don't  doubt  you,"  she  said,  putting  her 
hand  frankly  on  one  of  his.  "  I  only  want  to 
know  how  it  all  happened." 

"  Well,"  said  Dick,  "we  had  a  quarrel.  We  've 
always  quarrelled  ;  and  once  he  whipped  me  in  a 
stand-up  fight.  Since  that  day  I  resolved  to 
revenge  myself.  I  have  exercised  and  trained 
myself  by  all  possible  means.  And  he  sought 


THE   RESCUE.  21  / 


a  fight  on  the  night  of  your  party.  I  did  not 
refuse  him.  We  repaired  to  the  same  place 
where  he  had  once  whipped  me :  and  I  whipped 
him  so  that  he  could  not  see  out  of  his  eyes  ; 
giving  him  entire  satisfaction,  I  imagine." 

"You  whipped  him  fairly?"  exclaimed  Miss 
Milton;  "you  whipped  him  fairly?" 

"  Why  do  you  repeat  that  question  ? "  said 
Dick,  testily. 

"  Forgive  me,  Dick  ;  but  I  want  to  know  all 
about  it." 

"  He  was  about  to  strike  me  in  an  underhand 
way,"  said  Dick,  "  and  I  threw  him  ;  and,  in 
falling,  his  head  came  in  contact  with  a  stone, 
which  stunned  him  ;  but  he  had  been  thoroughly 
whipped  before  that  occurrence." 

"  Are  you  his  superior  in  boxing  ?  "  said  Miss 
Milton,  measuring  Dick  with  her  eyes,  with  a 
half-sceptical  look. 

"  Yes,"  said  Dick,  carelessly. 

"  This  is  a  very  sudden  change  in  you,"  said 
his  companion. 

"Well  —  yes.  I  have  changed  somewhat," 
said  he,  gazing  with  all  his  soul  in  his  blue  eyes 
straight  into  her  face.  She  colored,  and  with- 
drew her  hand. 

"  There  is  an  impression  that  you  used  unfair 
means  in  your  fight,"  said  she.  "  How  it  arises, 
I  don't  know ;  but  my  uncle  has  heard  it.  He 


2l8  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

has  been  to  see  Mr.  Black,  and  has  returned 
very  indignant  with  you,  and  desires  that  you 
should  not  be  received  at  our  house." 

"  I  shall  not  trouble  him,"  said  Dick,  quickly. 
He  saw  a  look  of  pain  come  over  her  face,  and 
continued  in  a  softened  tone :  "  Why  should 
people  doubt  me  any  more  than  Ned  Black  ?  If 
he  was  fair  and  square,  he  would  say  up  and 
down  that  I  whipped  him :  he  knows  that  I  did." 

"  People  say  that  there  is  not  a  mark  or  bruise 
on  your  face ;  and  Mr.  Black  is  much  bruised  ; 
and,  therefore,  considering  his  skill  in  boxing, 
they  cannot  account  for  it." 

"  They  suppose  that  I  knocked  him  down,  and 
then  jumped  on  him,  I  believe,"  said  Dick,  con- 
temptuously. "  Let  them  believe  so,  if  they 
will." 

"Mr.  Black  denies  that  you  did  jump  upon 
him,  or  any  thing  of  that  sort,"  replied  Miss 
Milton.  "  But  people  say  that  is  his  generosity  : 
he  wishes  to  shield  you." 

Dick  laughed  aloud,  in  derision.  "  I  shall  not 
say  any  thing  more :  I  have  my  own  opinion  of 
Ned  Black,  and  I  leave  people  to  theirs.  I 
suppose  you  will  believe  in  him." 

"  I  don't  know  why  you  should  make  that 
speech,"  said  his  companion,  with  hauteur. 

Dick  restlessly  pulled  the  spears  of  the  grass 
nearest  him,  and  tried  to  throw  them  far  out 


THE   RESCUE.  219 


upon  the  pools  of  the  river.  His  usually  placid 
face  assumed  a  very  severe  expression.  Miss 
Milton  looked  at  him  for  some  time  with  eyes 
full  of  seeking.  Finally,  her  sense  of  humor 
conquered  her,  and  she  burst  into  a  merry  fit 
of  laughter. 

"  Forgive  me,  Dick  ;  but  I  can't  help  it :  it 's 
too  funny  for  any  thing.  Your  countenance 
would  convict  you  of  murder  before  old  Justice 
Tooms,  at  Milltown." 

"  You  had  the  long  countenance  a  moment 
ago,"  said  Dick,  curtly. 

"I  ?  "  exclaimed  his  companion. 

"Yes:  you  were  the  judge,  condemning  me 
without  a  hearing." 

"Excuse  me,  Dick.  Ha,  ha,  ha!  I  can't 
imagine  you  boxing  with  Ned  Black.  You 
didn't  keep  your  dressing-gown  on,  did  you  ? 
or  go  through  the  wet  grass  with  only  your 
slippers  on?" 

"  I  don't  know  how  I  can  convince  you  of  my 
strength,  except  by  hiring  some  one  to  come 
upon  your  lawn,  and  then  pitching  into  him 
before  you." 

"  What  fun  it  would  be !  Now  can't  you, 
Dick  ?  " 

"  Why  do  you  always  rally  me  thus  ?  Can't 
you  believe  that  I  have  a  vein  of  deadly  serious- 
ness running  through  me  ?  " 


220  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

"Running  through  you?  a  vein?  Why,  you 
are  submerged  in  an  ocean  of  seriousness  to-day, 
Dick." 

"  I  am  deadly  in  earnest." 

"  About  what,  pray  ?  another  fierce  encounter  ? 
From  the  accounts  I  hear  of  Mr.  Black's  face, 
I  shall  drive  over  to  Justice  Tooms,  and  ask  him 
to  issue  a  writ." 

"  I  wish  you  would  be  serious.  I  am  not  in  a 
mood  for  jesting." 

"  You  would  have  us  both  gaze  down  into  the 
depths  of  the  fiver,  with  long  countenances  and 
deep-drawn  sighs,  I  suppose.  I  haven't  had  a 
fight,  you  know,  and  can't  join  you.  What 
dreadful  things  fights  must  be,  to  transform  a 
light-hearted,  merry  fellow  into  a  sedate  old  gentle- 
man !  Come,  Dick,  your  sighs  are  too  desperate  : 
I'm  going."  Thus  saying,  she  jumped  up.  As 
she  did  so,  her  dress  caught  in  a  branch  of  the 
root  of  the  tree,  and,  in  bending  backward  hastily 
to  disengage  it,  she  lost  her  balance,  and  fell  into 
the  dark  pool  beneath.  Dick  followed  her  in- 
stantly. The  tide  bore  her  swiftly  under  the 
bank,  and  threatened  to  wedge  her  in  between 
the  roots  and  the  trunk  of  a  tree  which  had 
been  caught  between  the  bank  and  a  rock. 
Dick  seized  her  as  she  was  disappearing  in  the 
foaming  eddies,  and  braced  himself  against  the 
tree.  Now  came  the  test  of  those  muscles  he 


THE  RESCUE.  221 


had  so  assiduously  trained.  Throwing  his  arm 
over  the  dead  tree,  with  the  other  around  Miss 
Milton,  he  stayed  both  their  flights  for  a  moment ; 
and  then,  throwing  his  leg  over  the  tree-trunk,  he 
managed  by  an  immense  exertion  of  muscle  to 
draw  his  exhausted  charge  higher  out  of  the 
water,  and,  with  a  fresh  effort,  to  place  her  with 
only  her  limbs  in  the  water.  Then  he  edged 
himself  along,  drawing  her  after  him,  until  he 
reached  the  rocks ;  and,  taking  his  dripping 
burden  in  his  arms,  walked  up  the  bank,  and 
placed  her  upon  the  green  grass. 

Miss  Milton  had  lost  consciousness  for  a 
moment ;  but  it  quickly  returned.  She  stood 
up  and  looked  at  Dick,  and  then  gazed  at  her 
dripping  garments. 

"  Well,  well !  I  'm  a  pretty  sight !  "  she  ex- 
claimed. "This  was  to  pay  me  for  laughing  at 
you,  Dick.  I  'm  tempted  to  laugh  at  you  this 
minute :  you  look  so  wretched  with  the  water 
running  in  a  stream  out  of  your  shoes.  But 
don't  I  feel  wretched,  though  ?  I  think  I  won't 
laugh  any  more  to-day.  Dear,  dear !  look  at  my 
new  silk  ;  and  there  goes  my  Gainsborough,  sail- 
ing down  the  river  !  " 

Hardly  had  the  words  escaped  her  lips,  before 
Dick  started  off ;  and,  notwithstanding  her  pro- 
testations, swam  out  into  the  river  again,  and 
returned,  after  a  struggle,  with  the  hat 


222  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

"  I  shall  never  question  your  bravery  or  your 
strength,  again,"  she  said,  in  a  tremulous  voice, 
as  he  handed  her  the  Gainsborough.  "  Truly,  I 
didn't  fall  into  the  river  to  test  it." 

"  That  was  evident  enough,"  said  Dick,  smil- 
ing at  her  serious  air.  "  Young  ladies  don't 
sacrifice  new  attires  so  recklessly.  Come,  you 
must  not  stand  still  :  we  must  walk  rapidly  to 
the  nearest  house." 

They  were  not  far  from  Farmer  Snell's  resi- 
dence, and  Dick  rapidly  conducted  her  thither. 
Mrs.  Snell  welcomed  them  both  with  open  arms  ; 
and  speedily  conducted  Miss  Milton  to  her  own 
chamber,  to  provide  her  with  dry  garments.  She 
would  get  her  husband  to  take  the  young  lady 
home,  towards  evening.  Dick  promised  to  call 
in  the  evening,  and  see  if  she  had  received  no 
ill  effects  from  her  bath  ;  and,  refusing  Mrs. 
Snell's  offer  of  Sam's  best  go-to-meeting  suit,  he 
set  off  at  a  round  pace  for  his  room. 

What  might  have  happened  if  this  accident 
had  occurred  in  those  old  days  when  his  muscles 
were  flabby  and  weak  !  Miss  Milton  would  cer- 
tainly have  perished  ;  for  it  took  all  his  acquired 
strength  to  drag  her  from  beneath  that  tree, 
against  the  rush  of  the  river.  This  event  repaid 
him  fully  for  all  his  endeavors  ;  this  could  not  be 
followed  by  any  unpleasant  consequences.  He 
felt  a  glow  of  joy  run  through  him  as  he  ran; 


THE  RESCUE.  223 


and  hardly  dared  to  think  that  he  had  held  the 
beautiful  girl  to  his  heart,  as  he  bore  her  up  the 
bank.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  cool 
airs  of  the  evening  bore  to  him  delicious  odors  of 
ripening  strawberries,  mingled  with  that  of  new- 
mown  hay.  He  had  to  cross  the  ball-field  on  the 
way  to  his  room.  The  nine  were  there  playing  a 
practice-game,  without  Black.  They  had  put  Bob- 
bie Snevel  in  as  centre-field,  and  the  man  who 
usually  played  in  that  position  acted  as  catcher. 
Dick  met  Bobbie  just  as  he  caught  a  high-flyer. 
The  boy's  face  was  glowing  with  pride  and 
enthusiasm.  He  stood,  after  returning  the  ball 
to  one  of  the  other  players,  stooping  down  with 
hands  upon  each  knee,  and  with  his  face  pursed 
up  with  a  look  of  immense  responsibility.  As 
Dick  accosted  him  pleasantly,  Bobbie  was 
troubled  with  a  multitude  of  feelfngs.  He  par- 
took of  the  base-ball  players'  feeling  of  indigna- 
tion against  Dick  most  heartily ;  for  he  was 
extremely  loyal  to  Ned  Black:  on  the  other 
hand,  he  had  always  liked  Dick  ;  and  he  wished 
him  to  behold  his  skill  in  playing  ball.  His 
temporary  promotion  into  the  great  Dornfield 
nine  had  made  him,  for  the  time,  a  prince  of 
egotism.  How  large  he  saw  himself  loom  up  in 
the  estimation  of  the  other  boys,  and  in  that  of 
his  elder  acquaintances,  like  Dick  !  His  curios- 
ity, also,  was  greatly  excited  ;  for  he  noticed  the 


224  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

young  man's  dripping  state.  Another  high-flyer, 
fortunately,  decided  the  matter  for  him  ;  he  ran 
at  a  break-neck  pace  to  secure  it,  and  mean- 
while Dick  had  passed  beyond  him.  That  young 
man  noticed  that  the  players  left  their  positions, 
and  advanced  toward  him.  He  stopped  in  his 
slow  trot,  and  waited  for  them.  Kennedy,  the 
large,  first-base  man,  came  first. 

"  You  are  a  pretty  fellow,"  said  he,  "  to  strike 
a  man  in  the  head  with  a  stone,  and  then  pound 
his  face  to  a  jelly."  As  he  said  this,  the  other 
players  gathered  round  the  two  in  a  circle. 

"  You  make  a  great  many  assumptions,  Ken- 
nedy," said  Dick,  nonchalantly ;  and,  turning 
his  back  upon  him,  thrust  those  next  him  away, 
in  order  to  proceed. 

A  half  dozen  arms  were  stretched  out,  and  he 
was  forced  back  into  the  circle. 

"  Tell  me  up  and  down,"  said  Kennedy,  baring 
his  arms  :  "  Did  you  or  did  you  not  strike  Black 
with  a  stone  ?  " 

"  I  deny  your  right  to  address  me  in  this  man- 
ner," said  Dick,  looking  his  opponent  up  and 
down.  "  If  I  say  '  no,'  you  will  think  you  have 
intimidated  me.  I  say,  no  ;  now  make  way  :  I 
am  wet  through." 

"  I  don't  believe  you,"  growled  Kennedy. 

Hardly  had  the  words  left  his  mouth,  before 
he  felt  his  face  slapped  by  Dick.  "  You  mean 


THE  RESCUE.  225 


to  force  me  to  fight,"  exclaimed  the  latter,  "  what- 
ever I  say ;  and  you  tell  me  in  effect  that  I  lie." 

The  ring  was  quickly  enlarged,  and  the  two 
young  men  squared  off.  In  a  few  moments  it 
was  clearly  evident  that  Kennedy,  notwithstand- 
ing his  long  reach,  was  no  match  for  his  wiry 
antagonist.  To  the  astonishment  of  svery  one, 
he  was  completely  whipped  before  the  village 
boys  had  ceased  to  run  up  to  the  circle.  The 
ring  broke,  and  Dick  was  suffered  to  walk  away ; 
for  no  one  dared  to  attack  him. 

After  the  departure  of  her  rescuer,  Miss  Mil- 
ton, dressed  in  a  suit  of  Hetty  Snell's,  reclined 
before  a  wood  fire  in  the  best  room  of  the  farm- 
house. Mrs.  Snell  bustled  about ;  bringing  her 
first  a  glass  of  wine,  and  then  the  yolk  of  an  egg 
in  brandy  and  sugar,  and  then  a  cup  of  tea. 
The  young  lady,  in  a  half-dozing  manner,  gazed 
at  the  old  samplers  upon  the  low  walls  ;  at  the 
weeping  figure  of  a  maiden  reclining  beneath 
a  willow  upon  a  tombstone  :  and  at  the  stiff 
Puritan  visages  of  the  Snells'  ancestors,  which 
looked  fixedly  at  her  from  their  old  frames. 
Dick  had  murmured  something  as  he  carried 
her  in  his  strong  arms.  It  sounded  like  "  Dar- 
ling : "  could  it  have  been  ?  Perhaps  it  was 
"  Darndest  ! "  their  condition,  truly,  merited 
such  an  expletive.  He  was  certainly  a  brave 
fellow:  she  had  been  very  unjust  to  him;  she 
10*  o 


226  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

would  not  be  so  any  more.  If  he  had  been 
in  love  with  her,  he  would  have  kissed  her  face 
as  it  reposed  upon  his  shoulder.  If  he  had, 
wouldn't  she  have  given  it  to  him !  He  had 
certainly  saved  her  life  ;  for  in  a  moment  that 
tide  would  have  swept  her  beneath  the  tree 
trunks.  She  shuddered  as  she  thought  of  the 
dark  recesses  beneath  the  bank  into  which  she 
would  have  been  swept,  and  drowned,  in  that 
bright  June  afternoon,  while  the  flowers  nodded 
on  the  bank  above,  and  the  birds  sang  gaily. 

"  It  was  lucky  you  had  Mr.  Softy  with  you," 
said  Mrs.  Snell,  coming  in  at  that  moment  with 
some  warmer  tea:  "he  is  such  a  strong,  brave 
fellow." 

"  He  did  prove  to  be  very  strong  and  brave. 
I  had  always  considered  him  an  indolent,  and 
rather  effeminate,  young  man,  before  this  acci- 
dent." 

"  Bless  you !  my  husband  says  that  he  has 
more  nerve  and  pluck  than  any  young  fellow  he 
knows.  As  for  Sam,  he  worships  Dick." 

"  The  village  people  have  always  had  my  im- 
pression of  him,"  replied  Miss  Milton.  "  How 
could  it  be  that  you  have  judged  him  rightly  ? " 

"  Wall,  he  used  to  come,  up  here  every  week 
to  ride  our  horse,  Philip." 

"  What !  that  furious  brute  ?  "  exclaimed  Miss 
Milton. 


THE  RESCUE.  227 


"  Yes  :  you  never  seed  the  like.  Why,  actilly, 
it  made  my  blood  run  cold  to  see  that  young 
fellow  jump  on  the  horse's  back,  and  go  tearing 
across  yender  field.  My  husband  wouldn't  listen 
to  his  mounting  of  him,  for  a  long  while  ;  but  the 
young  fellow  was  possessed  to.  They  had  an 
awful  struggle  at  the  beginning.  The  horse 
reared  and  snorted,  and  kicked  up ;  but  it  was 
no  use.  There  sat  Mr.  Softy  as  cool  as  a  cucum- 
ber on  his  back.  He  has  tamed  him  a  little 
now  ;  but  no  one  else  pretends  to  ride  him.  Oh  ! 
he  is  a  brave  young  fellow.  We  think  there  is 
no  one  like  him." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Miss  Milton  to  herself, 
"  these  young  men  are  mysteries  :  I  have  made 
up  my  mind  that  a  girl  don't  know  any  thing 
about  them." 


228  THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE    FAIR. 

"JV/TILLTOWN  was  in  full  possession  of  all 
-L*-*-  the  information  in  regard  to  the  Martha 
Washington  party,  before  ten  o'clock  on  the  day 
following  it.  Mrs.  Cramer  rode  over  to  her  dear 
friend,  Mrs.  Baslee,  who  had  been  spending  the 
winter  at  Washington,  to  gather  from  that  lady's 
stock  of  information  and  to  impart  from  her  own. 
It  was  speedily  reported  about  town  that  all  the 
young  men  were  much  intoxicated,  and  that  Miss 
Snevel  was  so  much  overcome  by  repeated  toasts 
of  champagne  that  she  had  to  be  conveyed  home. 
It  was  also  reported  that  many  people  were  very 
indignant  because  they  were  not  invited  ;  and 
many  of  those  who  did  go  were  snubbed  by  the 
literary  set ;  and  the  old  costumes  were  failures, 
—  only  two  or  three  people  appeared  in  them, 
and  they  were  laughed  at  so  much  that  they 
went  home  early.  Such  was  the  story  circulated 
at  Milltown.  It  was  acknowledged  by  all  that 
their  fair  would  not  be  such  a  complete  fiasco. 


THE  FAIR.  229 

The  young  ladies  had  been  working  assiduously 
for  it.  There  were  bushel-baskets  full  of  pin- 
cushions made  in  the  shape  of  hearts  and  forget- 
me-nots  ;  there  were  base-balls  painted  -with  the 
letter  M  in  different  colors  ;  there  were  prize 
ring-cakes  made  in  the  shape  of  a  ball,  and  orna- 
mented with  bats  and  base-ball  insignia  in  frost 
work ;  there  were  pans  and  pans  of  doughnuts, 
cut  in  the  shape  of  champion  players  in  every 
attitude.  The  refreshments  promised  to  be  on  a 
most  lavish  scale.  Every  one  had  some  part  in 
the  preparations.  To  Miss  Deming,  daughter 
of  the  leading  cotton  manufacturer,  was  given 
the  table  for  fancy  handkerchiefs  and  scarfs  ;  to 
Miss  Siller,  the  table  for  gloves  and  mittens  ; 
Mrs.  Grover,  the  wife  of  the  head  machinist  of 
the  machine  shops,  was  given  in  charge  the  great 
tidy,  worked  in  colors,  illustrating  a  ball  match. 
Her  daughter,  a  young  lady  of  eighteen,  was  to 
solicit  people  to  buy  shares  for  it.  In  short, 
every  one  had  some  prominent  office,  and  there 
was  great  unanimity  and  good  will. 

Unfortunately,  the  night  of  the  fair  was  rainy  ; 
but  the  wisdom  of  holding  the  entertainment  in 
a  hall  became  all  the  more  evident.  The  place 
they  had  selected  was  used  on  week-days  for 
town  meetings,  and  on  Sundays  as  a  place  of 
worship  by  one  of  the  religious  societies.  The 
interior  was  as  clean  as  white  paint  could  make 


230  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

it  ;  and  the  tall  windows  were  furnished  with 
immense  white  curtains.  Two  chandeliers  of  a 
gorgeous  pattern  betokened  at  once'the  incom- 
ing of  gas  and  luxury  into  the  place.  Their 
light  brought  into  glaring  relief  the  loaded  tables 
beneath  them.  The  young  ladies  who  tended 
the  tables  were  dressed  in  their  best.  Miss  Bas- 
lee,  who  had  just  returned  with  her  mother  from 
Washington,  wore  a  blue  silk  with  a  long  train, 
with  a  white  lace  overskirt  of  the  most  elaborate 
description.  As  she  walked  about,  the  young 
ladies  and  the  old  held  their  breaths  in  an  atti- 
tude of  taking  in  food  for  reflection  and  crit- 
icism. Mrs.  Baslee  took  charge  of  the  prize 
cake.  She  was  a  large,  fleshy  woman,  and  sat 
in  state  in  an  arm-chair,  clad  in  a  rich,  black  silk 
covered  with  beads.  She  had  enormous  soli- 
taire diamonds  for  ear-rings,  and  her  hands  were 
covered  with  rings.  She  waved  her  fingers  as 
she  had  been  accustomed  to  do  when  she  was 
young  and  was  noted  for  her  pretty  hand  and 
arm.  Her  husband,  a  little  man  with  gray,  red- 
dish whiskers,  was  a  very  prosperous  woollen 
manufacturer.  He  stood  beside  her. 

"Mrs.  Baslee,  we  are  delighted  to  see  you 
back,"  said  the  agent  of  the  Duck  Mills,  Mr. 
Smith,  dropping  the  arm  of  Mrs.  Smith,  and  tak- 
ing the  opportunity  to  pull  up  his  dicky. 

"  Milltown  hasn't   seemed  nateral  while   you 


THE  FAIR.  231 

were  away,"  joined  in  Mrs.  Smith.  "  You  had 
a  real  good  lime,  didn't  you  ? " 

"  S'pose  you  called  on  the  President,"  said  Mr. 
Smith,  "  and  gave  him  our  respects."  Mr.  Smith 
smiled  suddenly,  and  looked  around  to  see  if  any 
one  else  had  heard  the  joke. 

"  Yes,  we  saw  him  several  times,"  replied  Mrs. 
Baslee.  "  Senator  Baslee,  you  know,  is  a  cousin 
of  my  husband ;  so  we  had  the  entrte,  and  saw  a 
great  deal  of  Washington  society." 

"  She  goes  everywhere,  sees  every  thing,  and 
has  all  that's  going,"  sighed  Mrs.  Smith,  as  she 
was  forced  away  from  Mrs.  Baslee  by  the  crowd 
who  also  desired  to  pay  their  respects  to  that 
lady. 

"  Wall,"  said  Mr.  Smith,  "  he  has  made  lots  of 
money,  and  can  afford  it :  they  say  he  is  worth  a 
million.  There 's  Mr.  Gowen  talking  to  him. 
They  say  Gowen  is  worth  five  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars." 

"  I  don't  like  to  have  you  only  agent  of  them 
mills,  John,"  said  his  wife.  "  We  have  got  just 
as  good  right  to  be  rich  as  Mr.  Baslee  or  Mr. 
Gowen  ;  haven't  we  ? " 

"We  will  be,"  said  her  husband,  in  a  self-sat- 
isfied whisper.  "  I  've  a  little  spec  in  hand." 

"  It 's  astounding  how  the  women  dress  now- 
a-days,"  grumbled  old  Justice  Tooms,  in  his  seat 
near  the  wall,  to  his  cronies,  Squire  Jones  and 


232  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

Squire  Brown.  "  The  times  are  going  to  change. 
Everybody  isn't  going  to  make  money  right  and 
left.  When  you  are  on  the  top  wave,  get  ready 
to  plump  into  the  trough  of  the  sea.  Aint  that 
so  ?  "  Thus  saying,  he  took  a  pinch  of  snuff,  and 
looked  up  with  an  expression  of  mingled  agony 
and  delight,  which  was  interpreted  by  Miss  Gro- 
ver,  who  passed  by  at  that  moment,  to  mean  that 
he  was  anxious  to  take  a  share  in  the  tidy. 

"Now  that  gal,"  said  the  justice,  after  he  had 
growlingly  refused,  "  see  how  her  father  and 
mother  have  dressed  her  up.  Sorter  pretty, 
too.  Grover  is  a  head  machinist,  and  gets  fair 
wages  ;  but  his  wife  must  keep  two  gals,  and 
dress  her  daughter  up  in  silk  and  satin,  and  not 
let  her  do  a  stroke  of  work,  give  her  lessons  on 
the  piano,  and  have  a  French  master.  It 's  only 
a  specimen  of  the  times.  I  tell  you,  there 's  going 
to  be  a  change.  Look  at  Mrs.  Baslee  and 
daughter ;  there 's  another  example.  Baslee, 
they  say,  has  made  lots  of  money.  But  the 
time  will  come  when  there  will  be  a  shrinkage 
of  values." 

"That's  what  I  tell 'em,"  said  Squire  Jones, 
who  had  been  too  cautious  to  make  any  money. 
"  There 's  going  to  be  a  crash." 

Squire  Brown,  who  never  made  an  observa- 
tion, but  always  assented  to  prophecies  of  cata- 
clysms, said,  "  That 's  so." 


THE  FAIR.  233 

The  hall  by  this  time  was  full  of  people,  and  pre- 
sented a  splendid  scene  (in  the  language  of  the 
Milltown  papers).  The  long  refreshment  tables 
were  resorted  to  by  a  crowd  of  old  and  young. 
The  young  lady  waiters,  clad  in  their  most  mod- 
ern styles,  and  presenting  a  great  contrast  to 
the  simple  attire  of  the  attendants  at  the  Martha 
Washington  tea-party,  answered  the  young  base- 
ball men  in  fancy  neck-ties,  who  inquired  the 
price  of  doughnuts,  in  their  sweetest  tones  ;  help- 
ing them  with  one  hand,  and  cuffing  the  ears  of 
obstreperous  youngsters  with  the  other.  The 
shells  of  peanuts  began  to  grate  under  one's 
shoes.  The  post-office  in  the  corner  of  the  hall 
was  surrounded  by  an  eager  crowd.  The  tall 
clown  of  the  village  sat  by  himself,  far  in  a  cor- 
ner, scribbling  epistles  to  different  people,  and 
chuckling  to  himself  at  his  witticisms,  following 
the  motions  of  his  pen  with  his  tongue. 

"  This  is  a  great  success,"  said  Mr.  Myers, 
the  popular  minister,  —  a  tall  young  man,  dressed 
in  black  sack-coat  and  a  colored  necktie,  — 
addressing  Mrs.  Devons,  the  wife  of  his  deacon. 

"  Guess  we  shall  realize  handsome,"  said  that 
lady,  rapidly  twisting  up  a  bag  of  pop-corn,  and 
handing  it  to  a  youngster.  "  Have  you  hearn, 
Mr.  Myers,  how  they  get  on  with  their  trouble 
over  ter  the  Brown  church  ?  " 

"Their  trouble  about  turning  round  to  face 


234  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

the  singers  ?  Well,  they  are  pretty  equally 
divided  over  there,  I  guess.  John  Billings  says 
their  side  consider  it  impertinent  to  turn  round 
and  face  the  singers  when  the  hymns  are  sung. 
They  are  all  very  set  about  it ;  but  he  says  he 
is  going  over  to  the  other  side.  He  don't  see, 
when  a  fellow  is  doing  his  best  up  there  in  the 
choir,  why  he  shouldn't  have  some  one  look  at 
him,  especially  when  that  fellow  is  a  pretty 
young  lady." 

Mrs.  Devons's  grim  mouth,  which  had  grown 
more  firmly  defined  than  usual  in  guarding  her 
colored  pop-corn  from  youthful  depredators,  sud- 
denly relaxed  into  a  smile  in  response  to  that  of 
the  minister,  and  as  quickly  resumed  its  more 
natural  look  of  sternness. 

"  They  air  a  stinging  swarm  over  thar,"  she 
remarked :  "  it  will  take  'em  a  long  time  to 
settle." 

"  How  air  ye  ? "  said  Mr.  Bolder,  the  da'shing 
young  head  of  Bolder  &  Co.,  the  flourishing 
narrow-fabric  manufacturers.  "  I  want  to  con- 
gratulate you  on  your  last  sermon.  It  was  first- 
rate,  went  right  to  the  spot  ;  kind  of  sermon  I 
like  to  hear ;  sermon  for  the  times ;  of  the  liberal 
kind,  —  full  of  science.  I  tell  you  what,  science 
is  the  thing  now-a-days,  aint  it  ?  Well,  now, 
'tis  no  mistake,  the  old  theology  has  got  to  give 
way.  The  world  has  got  to  advance  :  there's  no 


THE  FAIR.  235 

stopping  it.  Ruts  aint  for  us  here  in  Milltown. 
We  are  progressive.  Let  'em  cling  to  the  past 
in  such  dead  places  as  Dornfield,  if  they  want 
to.  And  then  look  at  the  contrast  of  the  two 
towns.  Why,  they  haven't  grown  a  mite  in 
Dornfield  since  they  had  ter  the  times  the  In- 
dians gave  'em  such  a  scare.  Oh,  I  tell  ye !  sci- 
ence is  the  thing,  and  it 's  going  to  win  this  next 
game.  You  see,  the  reason  we  lost  that  last 
game  was,  there  warn't  a  man  in  our  nine  fit 
to  play :  they  'd  jist  been  down  to  the  city  to 
play  the  Harvards.  Our  men  have  got  a  kink 
or  two.  Science,  you  know."  Thus  saying,  Mr. 
Bolder  twisted  his  black  moustache,  and  began 
to  flirt  with  Miss  Grover,  who  was  still  soliciting 
for  the  tidy. 

"  You  think  we  shall  win  the  next  game,"  said 
the  preacher.  "  Hope  we  shall.  This  base-ball 
enthusiasm  is  a  good  thing.  It  keeps  the  young 
men  in  good  physical  condition,  and  substitutes 
out-of-door  exercise  for  in-door  dissipation.  I 
should  like  to  play  in  a  game  myself." 

"  Would  you,  really  ?  —  Now,  what  do  you 
s'pose  a  gentleman  wants  of  a  tidy,  hey  ?  —  Now, 
Mr.  Myers,  I  like  to  look  on  at  a  ball-game  ;  but 
I  have  too  much  regard  for  my  fingers  to  play. 
—  Take  it  for  my  prospective  wife,  hey  ?  are  they 
going  to  put  you  up  at  shares,  hey  ? " 

"  She 's  snappy,  I  tell  you,"  exclaimed  Bolder, 


236  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

with  a  laugh,  as  the  young  girl  made  a  flippant 
remark,  and  ran  away. 

"  To  tell  you  the  truth,  Mr.  Myers,  —  and  I 
wouldn't  tell  any  minister  but  you,  —  I  Ve  got 
some  heavy  bets  on  that  game." 

"  Betting  is  a  bad  thing,"  said  Mr.  Myers,  tap- 
ping him  on  the  shoulder,  playfully. 

"  If  I  had  time,  I  'd  argue  the  point  with  you," 
said  Bolder,  waving  his  ringers  in  the  air  as  if  to 
bid  adieu,  and  elbowing  his  way  through  the 
crowd  to  greet  Mrs.  Baslee.  The  minister 
greeted  his  folk  warmly,  right  and  left.  He  was 
speedily  surrounded  by  smiling  ladies,  who  solic- 
ited him  to  buy  various  articles.  He  had  a  good 
word  for  everybody.  His  face  seemed  to  glow 
with  the  consciousness  that  he  preached  and 
acted  out  the  doctrine  of  the  universal  brother- 
hood of  man. 

"  We  Ve  got  a  prize  in  our  minister,"  said  Mr. 
Grover,  as  he  sat  in  the  corner,  resplendent  in  a 
very  white  shirt,  with  a  small  gold  model  of  a 
steam-engine  for  a  bosom  pin. 

"No  mistake  in  that,"  replied  Moses  Cutter, 
the  postmaster.  "  He  is  a  live  man :  preaches 
about  the  events  of  the  day.  Nothing  of  the  old 
Puritan  about  him.  Likes  a  good-going  horse  ;  — 
who  don't  ?  What  a  contrast  he  is  to  minister 
Denham,  at  Dornfield  !  Why,  he  won't  even 
let  his  parishioners  dance,  and  is  continually 
preaching  against  the  times." 


THE  FAIR.  237 

"What  can  you  expect  in  Dornfield,"  replied 
Abraham  Low,  keeper  of  the  largest  West  India 
goods  store  in  Milltown.  "  Why,  they  are  a  hun- 
dred years  behind  the  age  over  there.  They 
say,  however,  they  have  made  up  their  minds  to 
beat  us  in  this  next  ball-game.  Old  Tom  Mil- 
ton has  got  his  back  up ;  and  when  he  does,  you 
know,  people  have  to  stand  round." 

"  Tom  Milton,"  said  Mr.  Grover,  "  has  had  his 
day.  He  used  to  rule  in  business  with  an  iron 
hand  ;  but  he  belongs  to  the  old  school.  We  've 
got  lots  of  men  in  our  town  who  can  beat  him  in 
energy  and  dash.  And  they  have  made  up  their 
minds  to  do  it,  too.  Business  is  dull  just  now, 
and  we  are  all  ready  for  some  excitement.  Bas- 
lee  and  Bolder  and  Stetlow  and  Davis  have  all 
got  heavy  bets  on  the  result,  it  is  said.  Oh  !  our 
boys  are  bound  to  win." 

In  one  corner  of  the  hall  a  space  had  been 
curtained  off ;  and  a  large  sign,  containing  the 
inscription  "  Fish  Pond,"  had  been  erected.  A 
young  lady  sat  ensconced  within  the  space,  and 
tied  on  parcels  to  the  end  of  the  fishing-lines, 
which  were  flung  over  the  top  of  the  enclosure, 
the  sportsmen  paying  five  cents  for  each  throw. 
This  booth  was  surrounded  by  a  hilarious  crowd 
of  youngsters.  Ranged  near  it  were  many  grab- 
baskets,  in  which  people  sought  their  luck. 
There  were,  besides,  mild  lottery  schemes  in 


238  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

abundance.  Squire  Brown  had  put  up  his  Al- 
derney  calf,  in  shares  of  fifty  cents  each  ;  the 
tidy  shares  were  ten  cents  ;  and  a  piece  of  cotton 
goods,  contributed  to  the  cause  by  Mrs.  Baslee, 
went  at  five  cents  a  share.  The  noise  in  the 
room  presently  became  deafening.  The  lights 
burned  dimly  in  the  atmosphere  of  dust  created 
by  the  hilarious  boys,  who  ran  in  and  out  of  the 
crowded  groups,  to  the  intense  discomfort  of 
every  one  except  the  minister,  who  thought  the 
children  were  entitled  to  a  good  time  always. 
The  men  gradually  accumulated  at  one  end  of 
the  room,  to  talk  over  the  proposed  nomination 
of  Mr.  Baslee  for  Congress.  That  gentleman 
made  himself  very  agreeable  to  every  one,  and 
took  great  pains  to  help  to  refreshments  some 
bashful  Irish  laborers,  who  hugged  the  wall  near 
the  entrance  to  the  hall. 

Presently  the  minister,  Mr.  Myers,  mounted 
the  platform,  with  a  paper  in  his  hand. 

"  Fellow-citizens,"  said  he,  enjoining  silence, 
"  it  is  evident  to  every  one  that  our  fair  in  behalf 
of  our  glorious  nine  has  been  a  great  success. 
We  owe  it  to  the  exertions  of  the  ladies.  Three 
cheers  for  the  ladies  ! "  (They  were  given  with 
a  will.)  "  The  ladies  are  always  prominent  in  all 
good  works.  We  owe  it  to  the  munificence  of 
men  whom  it  is  not  necessary  to  name  ;  one  of 
whom  has  just  given  a  complete  new  uniform  to 


THE  FAIR.  239 

the  club,  and  two  signal-flags  of  crimson  silk, 
which,  I  trust,  will  be  seen  in  the  front  ranks  of 
battle,  leading  on  to  victory."  (Immense  ap- 
plause.) "  I  will  now  inform  you,  that  the  piece 
of  cotton  goods  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  Miss 
Grover.  Now  is  the  chance  for  that  young  man 
of  the  future."  (Great  laughter.)  "The  tidy 
has  been  won  by  John  Timmins,  by  whose 
hands  it  will  maintain  its  name,  and  be  ha'nded 
down  to  future  generations."  (Great  laughter 
and  giggling :  John  Timmins  was  noted  for  his 
slouchy  appearance.)  "  The  cake  has  been  cut, 
fellow-citizens,  and  the  ring  has  fallen  to  Miss 
Baslee."  (Great  applause.)  "  The  young  man 
is  on  his  way  from  Washington.  And  I,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  —  I,  your  humble  fellow-servant, 
diligent  in  all  good  works  as  I  have  always  tried 
to  be,  —  I  have  won  the  calf.'  The  applause 
and  laughter  became  deafening,  as  the  minister 
descended,  and  mingled  again  in  the  swaying 
crowd. 

While  Stetlow,  Bolder,  and  other  -young  busi- 
ness men  stood  at  the  door  of  the  hall,  prepar- 
ing to  leave,  a  base-ball  man  came  in  hurriedly, 
and  said  that  there  was  a  report  that  Ned  Black 
had  been  killed.  Stetlow  turned  pale  with  ap- 
prehension. The  men  hastily  interrogated  the 
bringer  of  the  report. 

"  He  had  a  fight  with  Dick  Softy,"  said  Cham- 


240  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

bers,  the  ball-man  ;  "  and  it  is  said  Dick  struck 
him  in  the  head  with  a  stone,  after  he  found  he 
couldn't  whip  him." 

"  I  s'pose  the  game  is  up,  and  all  bets  are  off," 
said  Bolder. 

"  No  ?  "  replied  Stetlow,  emphatically.  "  There 
are  bets  of  Milltown  against  Dornfield,  —  the 
best  nines  that  the  two  towns  can  bring  forward. 
This  accident,  or  death,  makes  us  all  the  surer." 

The  news  spread  through  the  hall  with  light- 
ning rapidity,  and  was  the  main  topic  of  con- 
versation of  the  crowd,  as  it  broke  up  and 
dispersed. 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER.  241 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

BEFORE     AND     AFTER. 

\~\  7HEN  Dick  reached  his  room,  after  his 
*  *  encounter  with  Kennedy  on  the  green, 
he  found  himself  very  stiff  and  lame  ;  but  he 
dressed  himself  with  more  than  his  usual  care, 
in  order  to  call  on  Miss  Milton  later  in  the  even- 
ing, to  see  if  she  had  suffered  from  her  accident. 
When  he  was  about  to  set  out,  a  servant  handed 
him  a  note.  It  ran  thus  :  — 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND,  —  I  suffer  no  ill  effects  from 
my  involuntary  bath,  from  which  you  so  bravely 
rescued  me.  I  want  to  see  you  some  time  soon  ;  but 
not  just  now :  perhaps  next  week.  Sincerely, 

"  MARY  MILTON." 

Dick  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  the  note. 
She  had  always  addressed  him  before  as  Dick  ; 
and  now  it  was,  "my  dear  friend."  Did  she 
mean  to  be  more  formal  with  him  in  future  ?  or 
had  this  term  "friend"  a  warmer  meaning? 
Why  should  she  wish  to  postpone  his  call  until 


242  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

next  week  ?  Then,  too,  there  were  only  four 
lines  to  the  note.  The  ending  too,  "  Sincerely, 
Mary  Milton,"  seemed  very  stiff  and  formal. 
Events  often  transport  us  far  beyond  the  cus- 
tomary language  of  intercourse  ;  and  Miss  Mil- 
ton's note  seemed  frigid  to  the  last  degree  to 
Dick.  Again  he  was  plunged  into  a  fit  of 
despair.  His  gymnastics  seemed  to  have  a 
tinge  of  bitterness  in  their  triumphs. 

Ned  Black  was  confined  to  his  room  for  sev- 
eral days.  His  injuries  were  quickly  healed ; 
but  his  pride  prevented  his  showing  himself 
with  his  bruised  face.  Attentions  were  showered 
upon  him.  Mr.  Milton  sent  his  man-servant, 
twice  every  day,  to  inquire  about  him,  and  to 
convey  him  delicacies.  The  base-ball  men  spent 
half  their  time  lounging  in  his  room,  and  there  was 
a  constant  train  of  the  towns-people  at  the  door. 
Bobbie  Snevel  bore  letters  from  Rose,  filled  with 
the  most  tender  expressions:  The  young  girl's 
affection  was  at  full  tide.  Her  lover  was  sick, 
and  she  could  not  go  to  him.  Her  only  solace 
was  to  send  him  a  sweet  little  note,  every  few 
hours,  by  Bobbie.  Her  brother,  also,  watched 
over  the  sick  captain  with  the  devotion  of  a 
squire  to  a  knight.  He  looked  up  at  the  doctor 
with  a  touching,  appealing  face,  whenever  he 
met  him  coming  from  his  professional  visit  to 
the  bruised  man ;  and  manifested  his  boyish 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER.  243 

affection  by  running  errands  at  all  hours.  Ned 
Black  felt  dreadfully  bored  by  Rose's  tumultuous 
affection.  He  skipped  the  affectionate  parts  of 
the  notes,  at  first ;  and  presently  tossed  them  all 
aside,  unread  :  for  there  was  nothing  but  affec- 
tion in  them.  Whenever  he  saw  Rose,  he  was 
taken  captive  anew  by  her  beauty,  and  left  her 
in  an  affectionate  frame  of  mind ;  but  when  ab- 
sence had  dulled  his  remembrance  of  her,  he 
berated  his  folly  in  falling  in  love  with  a  girl 
who  was  poor,  and  had  a  dissipated  "  old  stick  " 
for  a  father.  Miss  Milton  grew  more  attractive 
to  him  every  day.  She  was  evidently  attracted 
towards  him :  why  should  he  not,  therefore, 
break  off  his  engagement  with  Rose  ?  No  one 
knew  of  it.  It  had  been  entered  into  lightly, 
and  had  given  him  precious  little  peace  or  hap- 
piness. As  for  Rose,  she  might  take  it  hard  for 
a  time  ;  but  she  would  get  over  it.  Yes,  she 
would  get  over  it.  Why  should  he  hesitate  ? 
He  gathered  her  letters  together  into  a  package, 
and  put  them  in  a  corner  of  his  trunk,  —  for 
neatness,  or  for  a  possible  decision. 

One  evening,  before  going  to  the  Miltons  to 
tea,  —  the  first  invitation  he  had  accepted  since 
his  accident,  —  he  dressed  himself  with  the 
utmost  care.  He  had  a  strikingly  handsome 
figure,  and  his  evening  dress  set  it  off  to  perfec- 
tion. The  bruises  were  still  very  marked  ;  but 


244  THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

they  gave  a  decidedly  interesting  look  to  his 
manly  face.  He  took  out  a  photograph  of  Rose 
after  he  had  finished  dressing,  and  gazed  at  it  as 
he  smoked  a  cigarette.  Yes,  their  intercourse 
had  been  decidedly  romantic :  there  must  be 
something  devilish  attractive  in  him  to  have 
awakened  such  affection  in  this  reserved  girl's 
breast.  She  was  a  harder  girl  to  win,  apparently, 
than  Miss  Milton.  It  would  be  hard  to  give 
Rose  up  ;  but  what  was  the  use  of  trifling  ?  He 
must  put  an  end  to  his  doubting  mood.  Fortu- 
nately, he  should  not  suffer  much,  and  he  didn't 
believe  that  Rose  would  :  time  would  make  it  all 
right.  These  young  girls,  after  all,  were  not 
capable  of  the  deep  devotion  of  mature  women. 
Rose  would  have  lots  of  chances  yet.  He  would 
have  been  very  jealous  if  there  had  been  a  rival 
for  her  affections  :  it  would  have  been  harder  to 
break  the  engagement.  He  put  the  photograph 
in  the  package  of  letters ;  and  sitting  down  at  a 
table,  holding  his  cigarette  between  the  first  and 
second  fingers  of  one  hand,  wrote  the  following 
note  with  the  other:  — 

"  DEAR    ROSE,  —  I  desire   that    our  engagement 
should  be  broken.     I  see  no  prospect  of  our  mar- 
riage ;   for   I  am  poor.     I  return  your  letters,   and 
hope  that  we  shall  continue  friends. 
"Very  truly, 

"  EDWARD  BLACK." 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER.  245 

It  was  a  hard  thing  to  do.  It  took  him  a  half 
hour  to  write  the  note :  it  was  more  than  a  half 
hour  by  his  watch.  He  sighed,  and  wished  he 
had  never  got  into  the  thing,  and  lit  another 
cigarette.  Bobbie  was  coming  at  seven,  and  he 
would  take  the  package  and  the  note  to  his 
sister.  Seven  o'clock  sounded,  and  Bobbie  came 
dancing  in  to  tell  of  his  success  as  a  temporary 
player  on  the  nine.  He  had  caught  every  ball : 
"  hadn't  muffed  once." 

"  Dick  Softy  had  a  fight  with  Kennedy.  The 
fellers  crowded  round  'em  so  I  couldn't  see ;  but 
they  said  Kennedy  was  up  on  his  boxing.  I  tell 
you,  aint  the  fellers  mad  with  Dick  ? " 

"  Had  a  fight  with  Kennedy,  had  he  ?  He 
will  have  to  be  taken  down  one  of  these  days. 
Bobbie,  here  is  a  package  I  wish  you  would  give 
your  sister." 

"  I  tried  to  catch  like  you,"  said  Bobbie  ;  "  and 
I  hit  the  balls  clown  into  grounders,  just  as  you 
do,  so  as  the  fellers  wouldn't  catch  me  out. 
Course,  I  couldn't  do  it  as  you  do,  —  no  one  can. 
Your  face  is  looking  better,  isn't  it  ?  So  glad. 
Rose  will  be  glad  too." 

"Tell  her — yes,  tell  her  I'm  all  right  now," 
said  Black,  turning  his  back  upon  the  boy.  "  By 
the  by,  take  back  this  copy  of  '  Lady  of  the 
Lake.'  " 

"  She  won't  want  it.     We  Ve  got  anuther." 


246  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"Well,  I  shan't  have  an  opportunity  to  read 
it,  tell  her.  Good-night." 

"  Good-night,"  echoed  from  the  sturdy  little 
fellow,  as  he  ran  out  of  the  house,  with  his  arms 
full  of  his  sister's  tenderest  expressions  of  love 
and  devotion.  Black  could  hear  his  joyous 
"  Yodel  "  as  he  ran.  The  man  had  chosen  a  fit 
messenger  for  his  note,  truly ! 

Bobbie  found  his  sister  waiting  for  him  at  the 
gate,  beneath  the  lilacs.  She  looked  beautifully, 
dressed  in  a  white  silk  with  blue  stripes,  with  a 
pink  rose  in  her  hair.  Her  head  was  surrounded 
by  the  halo  which  the  sun  made  in  shining 
through  the  brown  hairs  which  the  evening 
breeze  lifted.  Bobbie  jumped  up,  and  flung  his 
arms  about  her  neck  in  a  boisterous  manner. 

"  They  made  me  one  of  the  nine !  "  he  ex- 
claimed. "  I  was  centre-field,  and  the  fellers 
said  I  played  beautifully.  Wasn't  it  nice  ? " 

"  It  was  a  great  triumph  truly,  Bobbie.  Now, 
Bobbie,  you  mustn't :  you  will  rumple  my  nice 
silk.  Have  you  got  any  thing  for  me  ? " 

"  I  got  lots  this  time,  and  Ned  Black  is  look- 
ing first-rate.  He  told  me  to  tell  you  that  he 
was  all  right  now." 

"  What  a  nice  brother  you  are  !  "  she  exclaimed, 
taking  his  packages.  Her  heart  felt  light  as  a 
bird  ;  for  her  father  had  been  unusually  kind  that 
day,  and  had  called  her  the  prettiest  and  dainti- 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER.  247 

est  Snevel  of  the  generation.  She  reserved  the 
note  until  she  was  in  the  quietness  of  her  room, 
and  ran  down  the  garden-walk  with  Bobbie, 
singing  merrily.  When  she  reached  the  veranda, 
she  heard  the  garden-gate  open  ;  and,  looking 
back,  saw  Mr.  Graham.  She  received  him  very 
cordially  upon  the  steps.  He  had  merely  come 
to  tell  her  that  he  had  found  a  new  servant  girl 
for  her,  and  then  took  his  departure,  with  a 
grave  bow. 

"  What  a  kind  friend  he  is  to  me  ! "  said  Rose. 
"  He  is  always  thinking  of  some  way  to  assist 
me.  If  I  were  in  misfortune,  I  would  go  to  him 
sooner  than  any  one  except  Ned  ;  except  Ned, 
of  course,  —  dear  Ned  !  "  Thus  saying,  she  ran 
up  to  her  room. 

"  So  you  think  you  will  be  ready  to  play  next 
Saturday,  do  you  ? "  said  Mr.  Tom  Milton  to 
Ned  Black,  at  the  tea-table.  "You  won't  be 
taking  any  risks,  will  you  ?  Let  me  see.  To-day 
is  Tuesday.  All  the  men  are  in  good  trim. 
O'Callahan  is  all  right ;  came  to  see  me  to-day, 
sprig  as  a  cockerel.  Now,  Mr.  Grandhurst,  you 
will  be  glad  you  stayed  over.  We  shall  show 
you  a  real  American  game.  You've  never  seen 
a  complete  game." 

"  I  expect  to  be  much  edified  by  this  game  of 
rounders,"  said  Grandhurst,  smiling  blandly, 


248  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

while  the  lights  shone  on  his  eye-glasses,  giving 
his  face  a  very  refined  blank  look. 

"  But  it  isn't  rounders,  as  you  term  the  game," 
said  Miss  Milton.  "  You  Englishmen  never  can 
be  made  to  drop  that  idea.  You  will  persist 
that  it  is  rounders." 

"  You  also  persist,  with  equal  pertinacity,  in 
calling  me  an  Englishman,"  said  Grandhurst, 
with  a  little  tone  of  asperity. 

"  I  should  take  you  for  an  Englishman  any- 
where," said  Ned  Black. 

"  Should  you,  now  ?  Really,  I  don't  know 
whether  to  feel  complimented  or  not." 

"You  see  we  have  been  roughing  —  that's 
the  word,  isn't  it,  Molly? — Mr.  Grandhurst  on 
his  foreign  ways.  We  think  we  have  got  things 
in. this  country  just  as  good  as  there  are  any- 
where, especially  good  ball-players.  I  'm  not 
speaking  of  any  one  in  particular,"  said  the  old 
gentleman,  with  a  merry  twinkle  of  his  eye  at 
Black. 

"  I  'm  gradually  '  giving  in,'  as  the  expression 
is,"  said  Grandhurst,  gazing  at  Miss  Milton. 
The  latter  looked  up  suddenly  at  him,  and  then 
dropped  her  eyes  as  she  met  his  look.  Ned 
Black  noticed  the  by-play.  Could  he  have  a 
rival  in  this  exquisite  ? 

"  I  thought  we  should  bring  you  round,"  said 
Mr.  Milton,  heartily.  "The  fact  is,  we  want 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER.  249 

some  real  hearty,  enthusiastic  lovers  of  their 
country  now-a-days.  There  's  lots  of  talk  about 
a  limited  monarchy  being  better  than  our  repub- 
lic ;  about  England  being  better  governed  than 
this  country;  about  corruption  at  the  polls,  and 
all  that  :  but  I  don't  believe  it.  We  talk  about 
every  thing  in  this  country.  All  the  scandalous 
doings  at  Washington  by  the  government  offi- 
cials are  published  far  and  wide.  Now,  abroad 
they  keep  these  things  quieter.  Just  as  much 
going  on  there,  —  just  as  much  as  there  is  here. 
We  are  a  new  people,  and  must  expect  to  work 
our  way.  I  think  we  are  getting  on  splendidly." 

"  If  the  men  of  education  would  only  take  an 
interest  in  politics,"  said  Grandhurst,  "  there 
would  be  more  hope." 

"  Bless  you  !  they  've  got  an  equal  chance  with 
the  rest.  You  are  a  man  of  education.  You  've 
come  home,  enlightened  by  travel,  to  take  part 
in  our  glorious  struggle  for  a  republic  that  shall 
be  an  example  for  the  world." 

"  If  there  wasn't  such  a  rascally  set  in  politics. 
A  gentleman  must  have  some  self-respect,  you 
know." 

"  Oh !  he  is  going  to  take  a  law-office  in  Mill- 
town,  uncle,"  said  Miss  Milton,  "and  run  for 
Congress,  one  of  these  days." 

"  Pretty  sharp  lot  over  there,  —  unscrupulous 
set,  I  'm  sorry  to  say.  Glad  there  aint  many 


250  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

towns  like  it,"  replied  Mr.  Tom  Milton,  rising, 
and  leading  the  way  to  the  parlor.  On  the  way 
he  asked  Ned  Black  to  step  into  the  library  with 
him,  to  talk  over  the  coming  match  for  a  moment, 
and  left  Grandhurst  alone  with  Miss  Milton. 
That  young  gentleman  had  lingered  at  the  Mil- 
tons'  for  many  days,  as  their  guest.  He  found 
Dornfield  an  idyllic  retreat  in  this  unfinished 
America,  —  very  like  an  English  town,  in  fact. 
He  was  alternately  fascinated  and  repelled  by 
Miss  Milton.  Every  day  she  shocked  him  by 
some  excess  of  demonstration  or  feeling  ;  and 
then  he  walked  over  to  the  Silvers',  and  partook 
of  the  rarefied  atmosphere  of  their  household, 
read  the  "  Spectator,"  and  talked  about  Brown- 
ing's "  Ring  and  the  Book,"  and  "  Middlemarch," 
and  sometimes  went  sketching  with  Miss  Gould. 
He  came  back  to  Miss  Milton's  society  to  get  a 
touch  of  the  "  emotional,"  as  he  termed  it,  and 
was  again  repelled  to  the  Silvers'.  So  it  had 
been  during  his  entire  stay.  On  the  whole, 
however,  he  began  to  think  there  was  something 
in  this  volcanic  enthusiasm.  It  was  interesting 
to  study.  Miss  Milton  had  much  in  her  that 
was  admirable  ;  he  began  to  think  of  the  possi- 
bility of  his  losing  his  heart.  Miss  Milton,  in 
turn,  studied  him  intently. 

"  The  hero's  face  is  pretty  well  battered  and 
bruised,"  said  Grandhurst,  as  they  sat  down  op- 
posite each  other  near  the  window. 


BEFORE   AND  AFTER.  251 

"  It  is,"  replied  his  companion,  briefly. 

"  It  was  a  scandalous  thing  for  Dick  Softy  to 
do,"  said  Grandhurst. 

"  Do  what  ? " 

"Why,  hit  Mr.  Black  on  the  head  with  a 
stone,  and  pound  him  when  he  was  down.  That 
sort  of  thing,  you  know,  isn't  permitted  in  a  civil- 
ized country." 

"  It  was  all  right,  then  ;  for  you  think  we  are 
uncivilized.  That  is  logical,  isn't  it  ? 

"  Things  are  permitted  in  barbarous  countries 
which  are  not  right,  you  know." 

"  True ;  but  I  don't  believe  Mr.  Softy  would 
do  such  a  thing.  Indeed,  Mr.  Black  -says  he 
struck  his  head  against  a  stone  in  wrestling." 

"  He  is  a  generous  fellow.  By  Jove !  he  is 
the  picture  of  an  English  fellow  I  know  in  Paris, 
—  the  best  boxer  and  fencer  I  ever  saw." 

"  You  think,  then,  that  he  exculpates  Mr. 
Softy  out  of  generosity  ? " 

"  That  is  the  general  impression,"  said  Grand- 
hurst.  "  That  little  Dick  Softy  could  never  have 
whipped  this  superb-looking  fellow." 

Miss  Milton  was  silent :  it  looked  very  im- 
probable to  her  also.  She  thought  of  Dick's 
gallantry  in  rescuing  her :  could  it  be  possible 
that  he,  nevertheless,  was  capable  of  a  dastardly 
act  ?  As  she  looked  at  Ned  Black,  she  felt  a 
certain  tender  thrill  of  sympathy  run  through 


252  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

her.  His  eyes  looked  at  her  in  such  a  pleading 
way.  Even  Grandhurst,  for  once,  had  used  an 
extravagant  adjective,  and  saw  fit  to  call  him  a 
"  superb-looking  fellow."  When  Black  came  out 
of  the  library  with  her  uncle,  she  had  a  long  con- 
versation with  him,  while  Mr.  Milton  and  Grand- 
hurst  talked  politics.  It  was  not  possible  that 
Dick  could  have  whipped  this  man  by  fair  means. 
His  anger  must  have  run  away  with  him.  Her 
heart  warmed  towards  Dick  even  as  she  doubted 
him,  as  she  remembered  her  accident  and  the 
story  Mrs.  Snell  told  her  of  his  riding  the  un- 
tamed horse ;  but  if  he  was  capable  of  a  das- 
tardly attack  on  another  man,  his  superior  in 
strength,  she  would  have  nothing  further  to  do 
with  him.  She  had  kept  her  accident  a  secret 
from  her  uncle,  hoping  that  his  wrath  at  Dick 
would  soon  subside  ;  and  she  had  therefore 
written  her  note  to  keep  Dick  away  for  a  few 
days.  She  was  glad  now  that  she  had  been  so 
politic  ;  for  she  felt  her  own  wrath  rising  against 
him.  Ned  Black  went  home,  late  that  night, 
with  the  consciousness  that  she  was  not  indiffer- 
ent to  him.  He  had  caught  an  admiring  look 
several  times  in  her  eyes  ;  and,  as  for  the  old 
gentleman,  he  was  very  demonstrative  in  his 
liking.  His  heart  sank  a  moment  when  he  re- 
flected that  he  had  given  bonds,  so  to  speak,  to 
Stetlow  to  lose  this  game  in  which  Mr.  Milton 


BEFORE  AND  AFTER.  253 

was  so  much  Interested.  But,  after  all,  it 
wouldn't  make  much  difference  to  the  rich  man 
if  they  won  or  not.  They  could  made  a  good 
fight.  If  they  lost,  they  only  forfeited  a  small 
share  of  reputation  ;  and,  with  the  money  which 
he  should  gain,  he  should  be  immediately  lifted 
out  of  his  money  difficulties,  and  the  way  to  Miss 
Milton's  heart  would  be  straight  and  clear. 
When  he  retired  to  rest,  he  was  troubled  with 
some  compunctions  about  Rose.  He  wondered 
how  she  took  it.  He  would  miss  seeing  her. 
Some  old  recollections  of  the  love  that  he  had 
killed  throbbed  within  him,  and  then  went  out 
with  the  candle. 


254  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

PROTECTING      ARMS. 

T^TIGHT  is  the  time  for  anguish.  Then  the 
•*•  ^  tears  melt  into  the  darkness,  and  seem  to 
make  a  part  of  it :  they  do  not  obtrude  them- 
selves on  one,  and  shame  one  into  calmness- 
Morning  dries  up  the  weeping  eyes  :  it  is  written, 
that  "  Joy  cometh  in  the  morning."  The  time  is 
often  deferred.  There  is  an  anguish  which 
awakes  with  a  quick  leap  from  a  temporary  ex- 
haustion which  has  favored  a  short  sleep,  and 
makes  the  beautiful  coming  day  seem  like  the 
conflagration  of  the  entire  world.  Rose  sat  up 
in  bed  (she  had  not  undressed),  and  looked  out 
of  the  glimmering  window.  There  was  a  glow 
in  the  West.  One  little  bird  chirped  in  the  dark 
elm.  He  was  too  early ;  he  was  unanswered  ; 
and  he  fell  to  sleep  again,  with  his  head  under  his 
wing,  dreaming  of  meadows  bright  with  daisies 
and  buttercups,  and  bright  green  copses  along 
the  brook.  Three  crows  flew  over,  and  settled 
in  the  sedges  of  some  distant  pond.  The  cock- 


PROTECTING  ARMS.  255 

erels  sleepily  answered  each  other  from  farm- 
house to  farm-house.  Then  the  heavens  flushed 
more  and  more ;  and,  like  a  chorus  suddenly 
upbidden  by  a  master's  bdton,  the  birds  sang  in 
the  orchard  down  the  lane  with  a  ring  that  had 
the  quality  of  a  dying-out  peal  of  bells.  The 
fresh  air  rolled  into  the  open  window,  laden  with 
the  fragrance  of  the  grape-vine  flower,  which  it 
had  caught  on  the  old  wall  above  the  mill.  The 
quick  bark  of  a  dog  sounded  in  a  distant  field : 
he  had  driven  a  chipmonk  into  his  retreat,  and 
stood,  with  paws  wet  from  the  dew  in  the  clover, 
barking,  and  sniffing  the  strength-giving  morning 
air.  These  scattered  notes  Rose  heard.  Some 
day  they  would  make  a  sad  little  symphony  in 
her  memory  of  this  time.  She  buried  her  face 
in  the  pillow,  and  cried  afresh,  as  it  all  came 
upon  her.  She  had  not  truly  realized  how  much 
of  her  life  was  wrapped  up  in  her  lover.  If  her 
life  had  seemed  unsatisfactory  in  any  respect, 
this  love  had  filled  the  lacuna.  Now  all  seemed 
unsatisfactory,  and  there  was  no  love.  The 
morning  grew  more  splendid.  A  red  sunbeam 
flickered  on  her  chamber  wall.  Human  voices 
began  to  be  heard  mingling  with  the  sounds  of 
birds  and  animals.  The  mowers  went  by,  on 
their  way  to  the  clover-fields.  The  boy  with  the 
cattle  ran  down  the  lane,  and  shouted  to  the 
stray  cow  which  lingered  to  crop  the  grass  be- 


256  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

neath  her  chamber  window.  Alas  !  only  yester- 
day morning  Rose  had  flung  open  the  blinds  of 
.both  windows,  and  had  sung  merrily  to  the 
morn. 

Mr.  Snevel  sent  Bobbie  up  to  call  his  sister. 
She  ought  to  know  that  he  had  an  early  engage- 
ment with  Mr.  Bandy :  he  had  told  her  of  it  a 
hundred  times  the  previous  evening.  Bobbie 
returned  after  what  seemed  to  his  father  an 
unusual  delay:  his  face  was  very  long,  and 
looked  troubled. 

"  She  feels  a  little  unwell,  and  hopes  you  will 
excuse  her,  this  morning,"  said  he.  "  She  would 
like  to  sleep  longer." 

"  My  wishes  and  my  children's  always  seem  to 
be  at  variance,"  grumbled  Mr.  Snevel.  "  Why  .it 
should  be,  I  don't  know  ;  but  it  is  so.  I  will  go 
and  see  if  she  is  going  to  be  sick ;  I  suppose 
she  is.  We  shall  be  in  a  devilish  fix  if  she  is, 
with  a  new  girl  coming.  Heigh  ho  !  I  'm  going 
to  break  up  this  manage.  There 's  too  much 
pantry  about  this  business.  I  '11  have  a  suite  of 
rooms  in  the  city."  Thus  saying,  he  went  to 
Rose's  door,  and  knocked. 

"  Rose  ! "  no  answer. 

"  Rose,  why  don't  you  speak  ? " 

"  What  is  it,  father  ?  " 

"  Are  you  sick  ? " 

"  No,  only  more  tired  than  usual.  I  shall  be 
all  right  in  a  little  while." 


PROTECTING   ARMS. 


"  She  is  well  enough,"  remarked  her  father  to 
himself,  descending  the  stairs.  "She's  got  a 
Snevel  fit  on  her.  There  is  no  moving  her,  I 
perceive  by  the  tone  of  her  voice." 

"  No  ball-playing  to-day,  Bobbie.  You  must 
stay  at  home  and  see  to  your  sister.  Tell  her  I 
shall  be  at  home  in  the  evening."  Thus  saying, 
he  brushed  himself  with  the  utmost  care,  selected 
a  fresh  rose-bud  for  his  button-hole,  and  set  out 
for  Mr.  Bandy's.  Bobbie  suffered  a  great  disap- 
pointment ;  for  he  had  promised  to  be  on  the  ball- 
field  punctually  at  nine,  to  practise  again  with 
the  nine.  He  had  dreamed  of  the  event  all 
night,  and  had  been  up  very  early  fixing  the 
lacings  of  his  shoes.  He  walked  discontentedly 
about  for  an  hour  ;  and  then,  becoming  alarmed 
for  Rose,  went  to  her  room.  Rose  answered  his 
knock  in  a  faint  voice,  and  he  entered  her  cham- 
ber. The  little  fellow  was  shocked  at  the  sight 
of  her  pale,  woe-stricken  face  ;  and  put  his  arms 
round  her,  in  the  utmost  apprehension,  entreating 
her  to  tell  him  what  was  the  matter.  Rose 
longed  for  sympathy. 

"  Oh,  Bobbie  !  I  believe  my  heart  will  break. 
Ned  doesn't  want  to  know  us  any  more."  Thus 
saying,  she  thrust  the  crumpled  note  into  his 
hand.  Bobbie  read  it  with  dismay  and  indig- 
nation. His  love  for  his  sister  and  pride  for  his 
base-ball  leader  struggled  together. 


258  THE   GREAT  MATCH, 

"  We  don't  want  to  know  him.  He  is  a  mean 
fellow.  If  I  were  a  man  I  should  whip  him. 
I  '11  get  Dick  Softy  to  do  it  again  for  me." 

"Bobbie,  don't  you  say  a  word  about  this," 
cried  his  sister,  with  sudden  energy.  She  con- 
trolled herself  until  she  could  persuade  her 
brother  to  go  downstairs  and  do  some  necessary 
errands,  and  then  sank  again  upon  the  floor. 

The  day  wore  away  slowly.  With  an  effort, 
she  dressed  for  dinner,  and  afterwards  had  an 
interview  with  the  new  girl.  Bobbie,  somewhat 
reassured,  went  out  to  witness  a  ball-play  at 
Milltown ;  and  she  retired  again  to  her  room. 
At  tea-time  Mr.  Snevel  returned  from  Mr.  Ban- 
dy's. He  was  much  intoxicated,  and  some  of 
the  neighbors  had  to  assist  him  to  enter  the 
house.  Rose  stood,  with  her  hand  upon  her  pal- 
pitating heart,  at  the  landing  of  the  stairs.  She 
heard  the  tones  of  Mr.  Graham's  voice.  He 
told  Bobbie,  in  a  loud  voice,  in  order  that  Rose 
might  hear,  that  he  was  going  to  have  a  smoke 
with  his  father  in  the  library,  and  that  both  had 
been  to  tea.  Rose  heard  a  smothered  remon- 
strance from  her  father,  and  then  ran  to  her 
room,  double-locked  it,  and  fell  in  a  swoon. 
When  she  came  to  herself,  it  was  dark.  Her 
head  felt  strangely  confused.  She  had  had  a 
vision  of  her  mother,  stretching  out  her  arms  to 
her,  and  calling  "  Rose,"  in  a  voice  that  thrilled 


PROTECTING  ARMS.  259 

her  with  its  tones  of  affection.  When  she  felt 
that  she  was  alone  in  the  room  she  shuddered, 
and  moved  her  hands  before  her  face,  as  if  waving 
away  the  dread  images  which  presented  them- 
selves to  her.  At  length  she  started  up,  and, 
opening  her  door  noiselessly,  crept  down  the 
staircase,  and  went  out  into  the  night.  The 
old  moon  swung  up  above  the  meadow,  look- 
ing like  the  remnant  of  an  expiring  fire  bal- 
loon. The  mists  along  the  course  of  the  river 
slowly  mounted ;  wreathing  themselves  into 
human-like,  floating  figures,  which  the  weird 
moonlight  crested  with  faint  crescents  of  light. 
Rose  seemed  to  see  her  mother  among  the  misty 
forms,  beckoning  to  her  again.  She  wandered 
down  to  the  banks  of  the  river  ;  falling  now  and 
then  with  a  dull  concussion  over  mounds,  and 
startling  the  sleeping  ground-sparrow  from  his 
nest.  She  felt  that  her  head  was  strangely  light. 
She  clutched  at  the  clumps  of  bushes,  as  she 
crept  along,  to  steady  herself.  The  fire-flies 
drew  quick  threads  of  light  through  the  dark 
copses  ;  the  frogs  piped  incessantly  in  the  fen  ; 
the  water  was  dark,  and  full  of  crawling  things  : 
but  life  was  darker,  and  the  reach  of  coming  days 
seemed  illumined  by  no  sunbeams.  There  were 
angels  over  there.  Her  mother  was  calling 
"  Rose  !  Rose  !  "  With  a  shriek,  she  sprang 
into  the  river  towards  the  mists.  In  the  cold, 


260  THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

benumbing  water,  in  dreadful  awakening  con- 
sciousness, she  felt  herself  seized  by  a  strong 
man's  hand.  Graham's  voice  sounded  in  her 
ears.  What  he  said  she  did  not  know:  she 
found  herself  borne  in  his  arms  up  the  bank. 
She  struggled,  and  he  put  her  upon  her  feet. 

"  Come,"  said  he,  "  you  must  hurry  home,  and 
get  off  these  wet  clothes." 

"  Home  ! "  cried  Rose,  with  a  shudder:  "  I 
have  no  home.  Oh !  why  did  you  save  me  ?  I 
heard  my  mother  calling." 

"  Rose,  —  Miss  Snevel,  —  I  must  carry  you,  if 
you  cannot  walk." 

"I  will  come,"  said  she,  hurriedly,  shrinking 
from  his  arms  ;  "  I  will  come,  and  you  will  be 
my  friend,  won't  you,  and  save  me — and  save 
me  from  these  horrible  fancies  ? "  She  spoke 
huskily  ;  walking  close  to  him  again,  as  if  for  pro- 
tection, as  they  hurried  along. 

"  I  have  always  been  your  friend,  and  shall 
always  strive  to  protect  you  from  harm,  Rose,  — 
Miss  Snevel,"  he  said  with  effort. 

"  I  have  no  one  to  confide  in,  —  no  one  to  coun- 
sel me,"  exclaimed  Rose,  sinking  exhausted  by 
the  wayside. 

"  I  will  be  your  counsellor.  Can  you  not  con- 
fide in  me  ?  Do  not  sit  down  in  your  wet  clothes. 
We  must  hurry." 

"  Where  are  you  taking  me  to  ? "  said  Rose, 
looking  round  in  a  confused  manner. 


PROTECTING  ARMS.  261 

"  I  am  taking  you  to  Farmer  Snail's,"  he 
replied,  in  a  determined  way.  "  You  can  have 
the  proper  care  there  quicker  than  at  your  own 
home." 

"  No  !     Oh,  no  !  "  cried  Rose,  shrinking  back. 

"  They  will  think  that  you  missed  your  foot- 
step as  I  was  conducting  you  across  the  step- 
ping-stones. Come,  we  must  not  delay.  Dear 
Rose,"  he  said,  in  a  trembling  voice,  full  of  affec- 
tion, "  confide  in  me.  I  will  bring  every  thing 
all  right." 

Rose  suddenly  clung  to  his  arm,  as  if  to  pro- 
tect herself  from  her  own  thoughts.  "  He  has 
broken  his  engagement,"  she  cried,  in  a  heart- 
broken voice  ;  "  it  is  all  over  ;  why  should  I 
live?" 

"  He  is  a  scoundrel ! "  replied  Graham,  sup- 
porting her.  "  Rose,  you  are  well  rid  of  him. 
He  has  stolen  money  from  the  bank.  He  is 
deeply  in  debt.  Think  of  this,  Rose.  I  have 
longed  to  warn  you  ;  but  I  couldn't  make  you 
broken-hearted." 

"  Oh,  save  him,  if  he  has  done  wrong !  Do 
not  have  him  arrested  !  "  cried  Rose.  "  He  has 
broken  my  heart ;  but  do  not  let  him  suffer  !  " 

Graham  smiled  grimly,  and  said  :  "  Leave  him 
to  me,  Rose.  Your  wishes  shall  always  be  law 
to  me.  There  are  bright  days  in  store  for  you 
yet.  Remember  that  you  are  suffering  mentally 


262  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

to-night,  and  that  in  the  morning  all  the  mists 
will  clear  away." 

His  companion  sobbed  at  long  intervals,  as  he 
hurried  her  towards  the  farm-house.  Every  sob 
hurt  him  as  if  he  had  been  stabbed. 

Mrs.  Snell  was  astonished,  as  Rose  came  drip- 
ping into  the  house.  "  Well,  I  never !  Seems  to 
me  that  river  is  getting  to  be  drefful  dangerous. 
Off  the  stones,  hey  ?  Miss  Milton  had  a  nar- 
rerer  escape  than  yourn  :  came  near  being 
drownded  down  by  the  maples.  I  shall  be  afraid 
to  have  Sam  and  Hetty  meander  there  in  future." 

She  bustled  about,  and  promised  Graham  to 
take  the  utmost  care  of  Rose.  Before  going 
back  to  the  Snevel  mansion  to  inform  Bobbie  of 
his  sister's  whereabouts,  he  looked  at  Rose  nar- 
rowly. She  smiled  faintly,  and  gave  him  her 
hand.  The  gesture  seemed  to  say,  "  Do  not 
fear."  He  pressed  it  warmly,  and  quickly  dis- 
appeared. He  cautiously  called  up  Bobbie, 
informed  him  of  his  sister's  whereabouts,  and 
asked  him  to  watch  by  her  door  during  the 
night ;  telling  him  that  she  might  be  dangerously 
sick.  In  that  case,  he  told  him  to  come  for  him 
instantly. 

After  he  had  seen  Rose  in  her  own  home,  he 
walked  backward  and  forward  before  her  house, 
many  hours  in  the  night,  listening  anxiously  at 
every  sound.  All  seemed  quiet ;  and,  towards 


PROTECTING  ARMS.  263 

morning,  he  went  back  to  his  room.  How 
strangely  the  event  of  the  night  had  met  and 
rebutted  the  morbid  fancies  of  his  own  brain  ! 
He  had  wandered  along  the  river;  struggling 
with  his  own  hopeless  love,  and  thinking  of  the 
uselessness  of  life,  and  the  weary  waste  of  years 
before  him.  It  often  happens  that  the  desperate 
acts  of  others  wake  us  to  the  realization  of  the 
dangerous  trains  of  thought  which  we  have  been 
indulging  in.  He  made  frequent  visits  to  Rose 
during  the  following  day.  She  was  moving 
about  the  house,  instructing  the  new  servant, 
and  superintending  the  household  affairs,  with  a 
calm,  impassive  look  upon  her  countenance. 
Tears  came  to  Graham's  eyes  as  he  gazed  at 
her.  She  saw  them,  and  smiled  faintly  ;  coming 
to  him  and  putting  both  her  hands  in  his  :  but 
no  tears  stood  in  her  eyes,  which  were  surrounded 
by  large,  dark  circles. 

Graham  walked  incessantly  during  the  day, 
striving  to  quell  his  apprehensions.  He  met 
Ned  Black,  but  averted  his  face.  He  was  afraid 
of  the  wrath  which  threatened  to  burst  forth  and 
strike  the  young  man  dead  before  him.  Once 
he  met  him  riding  in  a  basket-wagon  with  Miss 
Milton  ;  he  turned  aside  into  a  side  street  until 
they  had  passed.  He  called  for  the  last  time  to 
see  Rose,  about  nine  o'clock,  and  learned  that 
she  had  retired.  She  left  word  with  Bobbie  to 


264  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

tell  him  that  she  was  better,  and  should  sleep. 
Graham  went  home,  feeling  a  sweet  calm  come 
over  his  spirits.  She  had  begun  to  confide  in 
him,  and  to  lean  upon  him.  Perhaps  he  might 
be  contented  to  be  a  very  dear  friend  to  her,  — 
an  elder  brother.  So  he  went  to  sleep,  thinking 
that  he  had  contented  himself  with  this  hope  ; 
while  it  was  only  the  larger  one  that  made  the 
lesser  hope  endurable.  At  midnight,  he  dreamed 
that  he  heard  Rose  shrieking  to  him  for  help 
The  dream  was  so  vivid  that  he  started  up  in 
bed.  He  certainly  heard  her  voice,  calling  in 
low  tones  to  "him.  He  hastily  dressed,  and  ran 
downstairs,  and  out  into  the  garden.  He  saw  a 
figure  at  the  gate :  it  was  Rose.  She  held  out 
her  arms  to  him,  and  whispered,  in  a  shuddering 
voice,  "  Save  me !  "  He  took  her  hands  in  his  ; 
they  were  icy  cold ;  and  the  same  look  was 
upon  her  face  that  it  bore  when  he  took  her  from 
the  water.  She  told  him,  in  a  terror-stricken 
voice,  that  she  had  been  tempted  again  to  throw 
herself  into  the  river,  and  had  found  herself  call- 
ing to  him  for  help  against  her  own  thoughts. 
Graham  stroked  her  trembling  head,  and  made 
her  walk  up  and  down  in  the  solitary  lane  near 
her  house,  supporting  her  with  his  arm  ;  hoping 
to  calm  her  nerves  by  physical  exertion.  She 
obeyed  him  implicitly,  and  walked  ;  clinging  to 
him,  occasionally,  with  a  shudder.  Presently  the 


PROTECTING   ARMS.  265 

reaction  came,  and  she  sank  into  a  seat,  exhausted. 
Graham  told  her  to  seek  her  room,  and  promised 
to  watch  outside.  She  left  him,  giving  him  a 
look  of  confidence  that  warmed  the  man  through 
his  lonely  vigil,  and  brought  back  hope  trembling 
to  his  heart.  The  stars  that  had  looked  so  coldly 
at  him  in  the  nights  he  had  walked  in  misery 
now  seemed  nearer,  and  had  a  kindly  twinkle. 
The  poetic  instinct  overwhelmed  him.  At  that 
moment  he  could  write  grand  lyrical  poems.  He 
felt  that  love  and  confidence  were  worth  giving 
one's  life  for.  He  felt,  reverently,  that  he  under- 
stood his  Saviour's  life  better  now.  What  was 
life  worth  without  love  ?  He  gazed  up  at  her 
window,  and  let  the  night  wind  cool  his  brow. 

At  early  dawn  Bobbie  came  out,  and  Said  that 
his  sister  had  a  fever,  and  wished  for  a  doctor. 
Graham's  heart  again  sank  within  him,  and  he 
went  hastily  for  the  physician,  and  busied  him- 
self in  finding  a  nurse. 

While  Graham's  soul  was  thus  stirred  to  the 
depths,  Dick  Softy  was  also  undergoing  tribula- 
tion. He  saw  Miss  Milton  much  in  the  company 
of  his  rival.  She  seemed  to  greet  him  very  coldly. 
He  did  not  propose  to  call  upon  her  again,  with- 
out a  special  invitatipn.  The  invitation  did  not 
come  ;  and  he  grew  more  proud  and  wretched. 
The  village  people,  too,  turned  a  cold  shoulder 
upon  him.  His  guardian,  Mr.  Denham  the  min- 


266  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

ister,  read  him  a  long  lecture  upon  the  sin  of 
quarrelling  and  fighting  with  a  fellow-being.  All 
the  young  men  cut  him.  He  half  resolved  to  go 
to  Europe  to  study,  and  looked  up  the  advertise- 
ments of  the  steamers.  Mr.  Denham  felt  that  a 
crisis  had  come  in  his  pastorship  in  the  village  : 
during  the  progress  of  this  ball  excitement  he 
had  noticed  an  increase  of  idleness  ;  a  falling  off 
in  the  attendance  on  the  Friday  evening  meet- 
ings, on  the  part  of  the  young  men  ;  an  indul- 
gence in  slang  phrases,  and,  possibly  also,  in 
those  of  a  more-to-be-condemned  nature.  He 
feared  that  beer-drinking  was  also  on  the  in- 
crease ;  and  quarrels  of  a  desperate  nature  had 
already  taken  place.  He  wrote  a  sermon  for  the 
following  Sunday  on  the  evils  of  ball-playing. 
He  considered  it  his  duty,  also,  to  call  upon  Mr. 
Milton,  and  protest  against  his  influence  in 
breaking  down  the  old  sacred  bulwarks  which 
the  Puritans  fathers  had  so  carefully  erected  in 
Dornfield.  When  he  went  to  Mr.  Milton's  house, 
on  his  parochial  visit,  he  was  told  that  Mr.  Mil- 
ton was  trying  his  billiard-table  with  Mr.  Grand- 
hurst. 

"  Billiard-table  !  "  exclaimed  the  preacher.  "  It 
is  enough  :  I  will  not  see  him  to-day ;  "  and  he 
turned  his  back  upon  the  servant. 

"  It  has  come  to  this  at  last,"  he  said  to  him- 
self, as  he  walked  homeward,  and  gazed  down  at 


PROTECTING  ARMS.  267 

the  peaceful  village  below  him.  "  I  have  fought 
a  good  fight  in  this  land  ;  but  ye  Milltownites  ! 
ye  threaten  to  corrupt  our  youth,  and  lead  them 
away  from  the  faith,  of  their  fathers.  I  shall 
denounce  this  gray-headed  man,  this  Thomas 
Milton,  from  the  pulpit.  His  years  shall  not 
save  him  ;  for  he  has  gone  over  to  the  enemy." 


268  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE      GREAT      MATCH. 

'"T~*HE  great  match  was  now  close  at  hand. 
*-  Ned  Black  marshalled  his  men,  and  every 
one  was  in  readiness.  Excursion  trains  were  to 
be  run  to  Milltown  from  the  neighboring  towns  : 
for  here  was  a  good  opportunity  to  make  some 
money.  A  multitude  of  coaches  were  chartered 
to  convey  the  crowd  from  Milltown  to  the  green 
in  Dornfield,  where  the  last  game  was  to  be 
played.  The  stores  and  places  of  business  in 
both  villages  were  to  be  closed  during  the  after- 
noon. The  selectmen  of  Dornfield  had  many 
applications,  from  enterprising  Milltownites,  for 
permission  to  erect  booths  for  the  sale  of  lemon- 
ade and  ginger-beer  on  the  grounds;  but  they 
haughtily  rejected  them.  The  farmers,  far  back 
in  the  neighboring  country,  took  their  old  mares 
out  of  the  pastures,  in  order,  as  they  expressed 
it,  to  "gant  'em  up  a  little"  before  the  day  of 
the  game  ;  for  they  would  have  to  convey  entire 
families  many  miles.  Mr.  Baslee  got  his  landau 


THE   GREAT  MATCH.  269 

from  the  city  just  in  season,  and  Mrs.  and  Miss 
Baslee's  French  costumes  arrived  at  the  nick  of 
time.  Mr.  Bolder  was  going  to  drive  over  tan- 
dem, and  the  Milltown  minister  proposed  to  take 
the  opportunity  of  speeding  his  Morgan  horse 
on  the  road,  while  Mr.  Bolder  drove  alongside 
as  a  gentle  critic.  The  village  vagabonds  went 
out  to  Muddy  Pond,  and  collected  the  water 
lilies,  proposing  to  charge  two  cents  apiece  for 
them  on  the  day  of  the  game.  Some  of  the 
Dornfield  boys  living  on  the  very  outskirts  of 
the  village  had  thought  of  doing  the  same  thing  ; 
but  the  Milltown  boys  got  ahead  of  them,  and 
pulled  all  the  lilies.  They  were  "  sharp." 

"We  have  been  very  fortunate  in  keeping 
O'Callahan  straight,"  said  Mr.  Tom  Milton  to 
Black,  on  the  Thursday  before  the  game. 

"  That  is  true  ;  he  has  been  a  plague,  indeed." 
"  Plague  !  there  is  no  word  in  the  English 
language  that  can  do  him  justice.  I  would  not 
go  through  the  trials  I  have  had  with  him  for  a 
thousand  dollars.  No,  sir !  Time  and  time 
again  have  I  taken  him  from  the  Milltown  lock- 
up. Old  Justice  Tooms  has  denounced  me  with- 
out stint  or  measure,  for  upholding  drunkenness. 
My  pastor  looks  at  me,  every  time  I  meet  him, 
with  a  long-drawn  face ;  and  I  don't  feel  quite 
easy  myself.  The  fellow  is  wily  and  obstinate, 
lazy  and  huffy.  Think  of  his  intruding  himself, 


2/0  THE   GREAT  MATCH. 

on  the  night  of  the  party,  without  an  invitation, 
into  my  house :  what  impudence  !  He  will  hear 
from  me  after  this  match.  He  will  find  out  that 
we  are  not  all  fools.  Why,  I  'm  out  of  pocket  on 
his  account  several  hundred  dollars.  I  sent  for 
his  cousin  from  Ireland,  and  got  him  a  place  ; 
and  so  it  has  gone  on  to  the  end  of  the  chapter. 
He  has  kept  pretty  straight,  however,  since  he 
has  boarded  in  the  same  house  with  you." 

"  Yes,  pretty  straight,"  said  Black.  "  Oh  !  we 
are  sure  of  him  now." 

"  We  must  keep  a  close  watch  on  him  for  the 
next  two  days,"  said  Mr.  Milton,  as  Black  left 
him.  In  the  early  evening,  as  the  old  gentle- 
man was  riding  out  with  his  niece,  on  the  road 
which  led  to  Milltown,  he  met  Pat  O'Callahan 
trudging  along  in  his  best  suit,  the  pointed  boots, 
and  the  flaring  ends  of  his  broadcloth  pantaloon 
legs  covered  with  dust.  Behind  him  came  a 
short,  thick-set  Irish-woman,  followed  by  five 
little  children. 

"Eh,  what's  this?  what's  this?"  said  Mr. 
Tom  Milton,  suddenly  reining  up. 

"  It 's  meeself,"  said  Pat,  touching  his  hat,  with 
a  wave  of  his  hand.  "  Coom  up,  coom  up ! " 
said  he,  beckoning  to  the  woman.  "  This  is 
Mrs.  O'Callahan.  — Mr.  Milton,  Mrs.  O'Calla- 
han ;  Miss  Milton  also." 

"  Your  cousin's  wife,  hey  ?  when  did  she  come 
over  ? " 


THE  GREAT  MATCH.  2?  I 

"  She  didn't  come  over  at  all,  at  all.  This  is 
me  wife." 

"  Your  wife  !  "  thundered  Mr.  Milton. 

"  Yes  :  I  was  married  an  hour  since  to  Mrs. 
Ryan." 

Mr.  Milton  looked  up  and  down  the  street,  and 
backed  his  horse  into  the  fence,  and  then  struck 
him  heavily  with  the  whip.  The  horse  plunged 
forward  ;  and  it  took  all  the  driver's  efforts  for  a 
few  moments  to  subdue  him. 

"  Those  your  children  ? "  said  he,  at  length,  to 
Mrs.  O'Callahan. 

"  They  are,  sir,"  said  she,  catching  at  the  small- 
est one,  and  pulling  up  its  stockings. 

"  And  fine  childer  they  are,"  said  Pat.  — 
"  Coom  here,  Pat ;  coom  here,  Tommy !  We 
didn't  go  on  a  bridal  trip,  bekase  of  the  match 
coming." 

"  Five  of  'em,  aint  there,  Molly  ? "  said  Mr. 
Milton,  gasping  for  breath.  —  "  Whoa,  you 
beast!" 

"  Five,"  said  his  niece,  struggling  with  a  fit  of 
laughter. 

"  I  was  a  coming  to  see  if  ye  could  be  help- 
ing me  to  find  a  house,  squire  ? "  said  Pat,  with 
one  foot  on  the  hub  of  the  carriage  wheel, 
settling  his  hat,  with  an  air  of  being  able  to 
pay  off  any  kindness  that  might  be  bestowed  on 
him. 


2/2  THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

Mr.  Milton  struck  his  restive  horse  again, 
wrathfully.  The  steed  backed  and  reared. 

"  Keep  right  on  to  the  house,  Pat,"  exclaimed 
Miss  Milton.  "  We  shall  be  back  in  an  hour." 
The  horse  bore  them  down  the  road  at  a  furious 
pace,  leaving  Pat  and  his  family  enveloped  in  a 
cloud  of  dust. 

"  Did  you  ever,  Molly,  —  did  you  ever  ?  "  ex- 
claimed her  uncle,  after  he  had  restrained  the 
horse.  "  This  caps  the  climax.  A  widow,  with 
five  children  !  well,  well !  Lucky  I  was  driving  : 
I  should  have  told  him,  if  I  had  been  walking,  to 
take  the  shortest  road  to  the  infernal  regions.  — 
Whoa,  old  mare !  those  blows  were  not  intended 
for  you.  —  Well,  there  is  one  satisfaction  :  there 
is  nothing  more  that  he  can  do,  as  I  can  see." 

"  Why  don't  you  take  a  cheerful  view,  uncle  ? 
Pat 's  given  hostages  to  fortune." 

"  He  has,  indeed,  —  five  of  'em  ;  regular  little 
tramps.  Wonder  what  Ned  Black  will  say  to 
this !  Well,  well :  we  've  got  to  stand  it.  I 
believe  those  chaps  over  in  Milltown  are  at  the 
bottom  of  this." 

When  the  Miltons  returned,  they  found  Pat 
and  his  family  encamped  on  the  piazza.  Quar- 
ters were  found  for  them  over  the  stable,  for  the 
night  ;  and,  on  the  following  morning,  a  tene- 
ment was  hastily  fitted  up  in  the  village. 

Pat  wished  it  to  be  well  understood  that  he  had 


THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH.  273 

given  up  his  bridal  trip,  which  he  might  have 
taken.  There  was  an  excursion  train  just  ready 
to  start  for  the  city,  and  he  was  urged  to  go  ; 
but  considerations  of  the  coming  match  induced 
him  to  give  it  up.  Ned  Black  recognized  the 
hand  of  Stetlow  in  this  effort  to  get  Pat  away 
from  the  scene  of  the  encounter  ;  but  he  kept 
his  own  counsel.  He  was  constantly  with  Miss 
Milton,  arranging  the  plans  for  the  decorations 
to  be  put  up  after  the  victory.  He  heard  that 
Rose  Snevel  had  been  seized  with  a  fever,  and 
was  quite  sick.  This  news  gave  him  some 
severe  compunctions  ;  but  he  speedily  overcame 
them  in  the  fascinating  society  of  Miss  Milton, 
who  seemed  to  incline  towards  him  more  and 
more.  He  had  no  doubt  of  his  ability  to  win 
her.  He  noticed  that  Bobbie  Snevel  gazed  at 
him  with  a  lowering  countenance,  and  with  a 
contemptuous  look.  He  took  the  opportunity 
to  push  the  little  fellow  hastily  one  side,  at  the 
last  meeting  of  the  ball-club  before  the  match ; 
for  the  boy  was  getting  too  much  in  the  way, 
and  wanted  snubbing. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  you,  Bobbie,  lately  ? " 
exclaimed  Miss  Milton,  on  the  Friday  evening 
before  the  match,  as  she  sat  on  the  piazza,  work- 
ing the  initials  "  N.  B."  in  a  blue  handkerchief. 

"  Nuthin,"  said  Bobbie.  "  What's  '  N.  B.'  stand 
for  ? " 


2/4  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Can't  you  imagine?"  said  Miss  Milton,  blush- 
ing slightly. 

" '  N.  B.'    '  Take  notice,'  I  guess." 

His  companion  laughed.  "  Now,  Bobbie,  what 
does  make  you  so  blue  lately  ?  You  are  not  my 
bright  little  friend  you  used  to  be.  Isn't  your 
sister  any  better  ? " 

She  looked  at  him  narrowly :  but  he  did  not 
vouchsafe  an  answer,  and  presently  walked  si- 
lently down  the  avenue  towards  his  home. 

"  There  is  something  the  matter  with  Bobbie," 
said  she,  gazing  after  him.  "  He  is  not  the  light- 
hearted,  enthusiastic  boy  he  was.  It  cannot  be 
his  sister's  illness ;  for  she  is  getting  better. 
After  this  match,  I  must  take  him  in  hand  again, 
I  ani  not  going  to  allow  him  to  break  away  from 
me  yet." 

At  last,  the  day  of  the  match  arrived,  clear 
and  beautiful  as  could  be  desired.  Mr.  Tom 
Milton  arose  in  great  spirits,  and  gave  orders 
during  the  morning  for  the  fete  which  was 
to  follow  the  match,  so  certain  was  he  of  vic- 
tory. As  he  was  gazing  in  admiration  at  his 
tulip  beds,  late  in  the  morning,  he  heard  foot- 
steps behind  him,  and  turning  around  saw  Mrs. 
O'Callahan. 

"Ah,  Mrs.  O'Callahan  !  good-morning!  Come 
up  for  the  potatoes,  I  see.  How  is  your  hus- 
band this  morning  ? " 


THE  GREAT  MATCH.  275 

"And  is  he  here?"  said  Mrs.  O'Callahan,  with 
a  slight  snivel. 

"  Here !  What  do  you  mean  ?  was  he  coming 
up?" 

"  And  he  did  not  come  home  last  night,  and 
I  thought  you  might  be  knowin'  where  he  is." 

Mr.  Milton  was  thunderstruck.  He  shouted 
suddenly  to  his  man  to  harness  up ;  and,  telling 
Mrs.  O'Callahan  to  seek  his  niece,  set  off  hastily 
to  find  Ned  Black.  That  young  man  had  not 
heard  of  the  disappearance  of  Pat.  Mr.  Milton 
cocked  his  hat  on  one  side  of  his  head,  as  he 
always  did  when  he  was  in  a  temper,  and  drove 
rapidly  to  Milltown  to  see  Justice  Tooms,  and 
ascertain  if  Pat  was  at  his  old  pranks  "again. 
Pat  was  not  in  the  lock-up.  The  justice  had 
not  heard  of  his  being  in  any  trouble.  After 
many  inquiries,  Mr.  Milton  found  a  man  who 
had  seen  Pat  walking  to  Dornfield  in  the  morn- 
ing. Mr.  Milton  drove  rapidly  back. 

Long  before  the  hour  appointed  for  the  game, 
the  crowd  began  to  come  in  from  the  neighbor- 
ing villages.  Troops  of  boys  and  young  men 
walked  through  the  quiet  lanes  of  Dornfield, 
slashing  the  graceful  overhanging  boughs  with 
sticks,  throwing  base-balls  across  the  street  at 
each  other,  and  shouting  out  their  opinions  of 
prominent  players.  The  boys'  hats  all  seemed 
to  be  too  small  or  too  large.  The  young  men 


276  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

strolled  along,  with  their  hands  in  their  pock- 
ets ;  many  of  them  smoking.  The  young  Irish- 
American  was  there,  with  pointed  shoes  first 
impressing  themselves  upon  the  attention,  and 
a  countenance  expressing  his  ability  to  become 
President  of  the  United  States.  The  coats  of 
their  crowd  were  of  that  peculiar  hue  never  seen 
anywhere  save  on  a  ball-field,  —  a  shade  of  brown 
perfected  by  the  united  action  of  the  sun  and  the 
dust  on  a  hundred  battle-fields.  The  peaceful 
house  dogs,  alarmed  at  the  irruption  of  these  base- 
ball Goths,  bayed  incessantly ;  and  occasionally 
the  high  voice  of  a  housewife  could  be  heard,  as 
she  drove  out  some  boys  from  her  strawberry  bed. 
The  inhabitants  on  the  route  to  Dornfield,  also, 
found  them  a  very  thirsty  army.  These  were 
the  skirmishers  and  the  advance-guard.  After- 
wards came  the  coaches  ;  their  tops  covered  with 
men,  young  and  old,  from  the  neighboring  towns, 
and  the  interior  filled  with  young  ladies.  Hardly 
had  the  boom  of  one  resounded  upon  the  bridge 
over  the  river,  before  it  was  followed  by  another. 
A  cloud  of  unwonted  dust  began  to  envelop  the 
coaches  and  whiten  the  foliage  along  the  road, 
and  the  man  in  the  linen  duster  looked  with  a 
feeling  of  self-satisfaction  on  his  broadcloth- 
clad  fellow-traveller.  After  the  coaches,  came 
the  fine  equipages  of  the  newly  enriched  Mill- 
townites.  The  Dornfield  people  who  did  not 


THE  GREAT  MATCH.  277 

go  to  the  ball-ground,  especially  those  who  had 
worked  during  the  morning  over  big  dinners 
for  their  considerate  visitors,  who  came  from  a 
distance,  with  the  baby  and  the  rest  of  the  family, 
and  were  now  too  tired  to  witness  the  game, 
peeked  out  through  the  blinds  to  witness  the 
splendor  of  Mrs.  Baslee's  turn-out,  the  dash  of 
Mr.  Holder's  tandem,  and  the  fine  stepper  of  the 
minister,  together  with  a  number  of  emulous 
imitators.  There  was  Mrs.  Smith,  wife  of  the 
agent  of  the  Duck  Mills,  in  a  new  basket-wagon, 
drawn  by  a  horse  fresh  from  the  plough  ;  and 
Mr.  Grover,  with  a  span  in  perfectly  new  and 
shining  harness,  but  attached  to  an  ancient 
carryall.  How  inferior  the  clothes  of  the  Dorn- 
field  people  seemed  that  day !  The  gay  silk  par- 
asols of  the  visitors  caught  the  eye,  as  one  looked 
over  the  great  crowd  seated  on' the  scaffoldings 
erected  around  two  sides  of  the  ball-field. 

Two  o'clock  came.  The  ball-men  walked 
about  in  their  new  uniforms,  —  the  Milltown 
nine  in  crimson  leggings,  and  the  Dornfield  in 
blue ;  kicking  aside  bats,  or  tossing  the  ball  to 
each  other,  and  running  about  with  that  super- 
fluous energy  and  strength  which  was  a  wonder 
to  valetudinarians  like  Mr.  Silver. 

"  Well,  now,  we  are  in  for  it  for  two  mortal 
hours  in  the  hot  sun,"  said  the  latter,  to  his  wife, 
who  was  accompanied  by  Miss  Gould.  "  When 


2/8  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

you  've  seen  one  inning,  you  've  seen  all  there  is 
to  be  seen.  A  fellar  hits  at  a  piece  of  stuffed 
leather.  Doesn't  hit  it ;  whirls  round  after  his 
coat-tails,  —  if  he  had  any,  he  would.  Does  hit 
it ;  runs  to  the  first  base ;  is  caught  out,  with 
immense  applause.  Another  tries  ;  gets  round 
amid  tumultuous  cheering.  You  cheer,  my  dear  ; 
we  all  cheer.  We  don't  know  exactly  why  ;  but 
we  do.  It  is  just  as  if  a  lot  of  people  had  been 
condemned  to  sit  on  hard  pine  boards  all  the 
afternoon  in  a  scorching  sun,  not  expecting 
much,  and  perfectly  delighted  at  seeing  some 
kind  fellow  stand  on  his  head  once  an  hour. 
When  you  've  seen  one  inning,  you  've  seen 
all." 

"  I  expect  this  is  to  be  a  severe  struggle,  my 
dear,"  said  his  wife,  arranging  a  havelock  for  her 
husband.  "  They  say  that  Mr.  Grandhurst  is  to 
be  the  umpire :  the  Miltons  have  been  posting 
him  up  in  the  rules  of  the  game." 

"He'll  get  enough  of  that,"  growled  Mr. 
Silver. 

"  I  think  that  a  sculptor  could  get  some  ideas," 
said  Miss  Gould,  half  shutting  one  eye,  and  gaz- 
ing dreamily  with  the  other,  "if  they  should 
study  the  attitudes  of  the  ball-players.  See  that 
young  man  standing,  resting  his  arm  upon  the 
shoulder  of  a  friend.  The  pose  is  admirable  ; " 
and  she  immediately  took  out  her  sketch-book, 


THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH.  279 

from  which  a  lot  of  dried  fern-leaves  flew  out, 
giving  Mr.  Silver  plenty  of  occupation  to  collect. 

"  His  figure  would  smack  of  base-ball,"  re- 
joined Mr.  Silver,  resuming  his  seat,  with  a  sigh. 
He  informed  his  wife  that  he  should  go  home 
after  the  first  inning. 

The  crowd  grew  impatient :  two  o'clock  had 
arrived.  Every  seat  was  filled,  and  the  neigh- 
boring tree-tops  were  loaded  with  men  and  boys. 
Why  did  they  not  begin  ?  Ned  Black  was  in 
close  consultation  with  Mr.  Milton,  Miss  Mil- 
ton, and  the  members  of  his  nine.  Mr.  Gra- 
ham had  also  been  invited  to  join  the  delibera- 
tion :  while  Bobbie  Snevel  sat  beside  Miss 
Milton.  The  disappearance  of  Pat  had  over- 
whelmed the  party  with  confusion.  What  was 
to  be  done  ? 

"  I  suppose  we  could  postpone  the  match," 
said  Graham. 

"  No  !  By  all  the  powers,  this  affair  is  going 
to  be  played  out  to-day,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Milton. 
"  I  've  had  enough  of  this  suspense." 

Ned  Black  thought  that  the  game  had  better 
be  played.  They  could  put  in  Kennedy  for 
pitcher,  and  take  Borroughs  from  centre-field, 
and  put  him  on  first  base  in  place  of  Kennedy. 
Sam  Bird  could  play  centre-field.  Bobbie  Snevel 
uttered  an  involuntary  "  my  ! " 

"  What  do  you  think  of  this  change,  Bobbie  ? " 
asked  Miss  Milton. 


280  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Kennedy  can't  pitch  worth  a  cent/'  he  ex- 
claimed. "  The  Milltown  nine  could  hit  all  his 
balls." 

"  The  boy  is  mistaken,"  said  Black,  in  an  angry 
manner.  "  I  know  the  capacity  of  every  man  on 
the  nine,  intimately,  of  course." 

"  Who  do  you  think  would  be  a  good  pitcher, 
Bobbie  ?  "  asked  Mr.  Graham. 

"  Dick  Softy,"  answered  Bobbie,  confidently. 
"  He  throws  a  real  twister.  I  've  seen  him  play- 
ing with  the  Milltown  nine,  occasionally.  He 
used  to  go  over  there  to  practise.  They  say 
over  there  that  he  is  as  good  as  O'Callahan." 

"  Dick  Softy  !  "  exclaimed  all  present,  in  min- 
gled tones  of  astonishment  and  anger. 

"  Boy,  you  don't  know  what  you  are  talking 
about,"  said  Mr.  Tom  Milton,  in  a  severe  man- 
ner ;  while  Ned  Black  turned  indignantly,  and 
went  out  of  the  room,  with  the  rest  of  the  nine. 

"I  hope  you  will  listen  to  the  counsel  of  this 
little  fellow,"  said  Graham,  in  his  decided  tones. 

"  What !  what !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Milton,  who 
was  walking  up  and  down  his  library  in  great 
excitement. 

Graham  asked  Bobbie  to  go  for  a  glass  of 
water,  went  to  the  door  and  locked  it,  and  then 
returned  in  a  calm  manner. 

"  Mr.  Milton,"  said  he,  '•  perhaps  you  do  not 
know  that  Mr.  Black  intends  to  sell  this  game, 
and  has  arranged  all  his  plans  accordingly." 


THE   GREAT  MATCH.  281 

Miss  Milton  and  her  uncle  looked  at  the 
speaker  with  astonishment. 

"  I  repeat  it,"  said  Graham  ;  "  I  have  the  best 
of  reasons,  based  both  on  direct  and  indirect 
testimony,  that  this  is  his  intention.  Money  has 
become  a  necessity  to  him.  He  is  involved  in 
several  speculations  with  unreliable  fellows  in 
Milltown.  They  have  bet  heavily  on  this  game  ; 
excited  by  your  avowed  intention,  Mr.  Milton,  to 
obtain  the  victory,  and  taking  advantage  of  the 
rivalry  which  has  existed  between  yourself  and 
your  old  business  friends.  I  have  made  a  study 
of  Ned  Black.  Furthermore,  he  has  taken 
money  from  the  bank  ;  and  must  return  it,  or  he 
is  ruined." 

Mr.  Milton  sank  into  a  chair,  and  gazed  at 
Graham  with  a  look  of  betrayed  confidence, 
which  is  so  painful  to  see  upon  an  honorable 
old  gentleman's  face.  Miss  Milton  listened, 
while  the  color  came  and  went  rapidly  upon  her 
distressed  face. 

"  I  tell  you  he  means  to  let  our  nine  be  de- 
feated by  some  false  play,"  continued  Graham. 
"  His  friends  have  made  bets  with  honorable  men 
with  that  air  of  certainty  which  is  unmistakable 
in  men  of  their  standing.  I  know  Black  to  be  a 
man  thoroughly  destitute  of  honor." 

"Your  prot/g/! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Milton, — 
"  that  handsome,  manly  fellow  ?  " 


282  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

"  Yes,  my  protigJ"  replied  Graham,  in  a  bitter 
tone. 

"Dick  shall  be  put  in  as  pitcher!"  exclaimed 
Miss  Milton,  jumping  up. 

"  What  shall  be  done  with  Black  ? "  asked  her 
uncle,  with  an  air  of  perplexity. 

"  Let  him  play  until  he  manifests  his  inten- 
tions," said  Graham.  "  He  can  be  watched  nar- 
rowly :  I  desire  to  convince  you  both." 

"  It  shall  be  done,"  said  Mr.  Milton,  excitedly. 
"We'll  block  him  yet.  When  he  shows  his 
colors,  we'll  put  in  a  new  man.  They  sha'n't  say 
but  that  we  made  a  brave  fight." 

The  door  was  unlocked,  and  Ned  Black  re- 
entered,  presently,  to  say  that  the  crowd  were 
very  impatient. 

"  We  've  concluded  that  it  will  be  best  to  try 
Dick  Softy,"  said  Mr.  Milton. 

"  Yes,"  said  Miss  Milton,  casting  a  glance  at 
Ned  Black  which  he  could  not  interpret,  "we 
think  it  will  be  best  to  try  him.  Mr.  Graham 
has  seen  him  play,  and  corroborates  Bobbie's 
story." 

The  young  man's  countenance  flushed  ;  but  he 
offered  no  opposition,  save  what  was  expressed 
in  a  contemptuous  smile  at  the  mention  of  his 
adversary's  name.  He  went  out  to  announce 
the  decision  to  the  club.  The  men  were  very 
indignant,  and  refused  to  play.  Finally,  Black 


THE  GREAT  MATCH.  283 

persuaded  them  to  accept  Dick  into  their  ranks  ; 
telling  them  that  Mr.  Milton  strongly  desired  it. 
The  old  gentleman  had  been  at  great  expense 
for  them  ;  and  he  must  be  humored.  It  was 
strange,  however,  that  the  testimony  of  that 
little  Bobbie  Snevel  should  have  such  weight. 

So  Dick  was  found  ;  and,  after  some  consul- 
tation with  the  Miltons,  he  consented  to  play. 
His  heart  throbbed  with  pleasure  as  Miss  Milton 
took  his  hand  in  both  of  hers,  and  said,  "  We 
depend  upon  you." 

The  impatient  crowd  hissed  and  shouted  at 
the  delay.  When  the  ball-players  took  their 
respective  positions,  there  was  great  rejoicing. 
Dick  Softy's  appearance  as  pitcher  for  the  Dorn- 
field  nine  was  greeted  with  astonishment ;  and 
his  first  throws  were  watched  with  the  utmost 
interest.  In  a  moment  it  was  evident  that  he 
pitched  fully  as  well  as  O'Callahan.  Standing 
with  his  left  side  toward  the  man  at  the  bat,  he 
looked  warily  round  the  field  at  the  different 
players,  turning  the  ball  in  his  fingers  ;  and  then, 
with  lightning-like  rapidity  throwing  his  right 
foot  forward,  sent  in  the  ball.  It  seemed  to 
describe  a  curve,  and  when  the  Milltown  players 
hit  at  it,  eluded  their  blow,  or  flew  off  the  bat  in 
a  foul  ball.  Ned  Black,  who  was  noted  for  his 
skill  in  catching  foul  balls,  played  superbly  in 
the  first  inning.  He  seemed  to  know  by  instinct 


284  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

which  way  the  rapidly  twisting  ball  would  re- 
bound when  it  struck  the  earth  at  different 
angles ;  and,  while  apparently  running  away 
from  the  ball,  it  rebounded  into  his  hands.  Only 
one  man  succeeded  in  getting  to  the  second  base 
during  the  first  inning,  and  he  was  put  out  by 
the  quick  eye  of  Dick,  as  the  player  was  stealing 
to  the  third  base.  Miss  Milton  sat  beside  her 
uncle.  Graham  and  Bobbie  Snevel  were  also  of 
the  party.  Never  were  two  players  watched 
with  such  interest  by  four  people.  Miss  Milton 
sat  with  parted  lips,  gazing  at  the  two  men,  as  if 
they  were  the  leaders  of  opposing  forces.  Dick 
seemed  inspired.  His  head  was  never  at  rest. 
His  lithe  form  threatened  to  be  rent  by  the  force 
with  which  he  sent  the  ball  in.  Ned  Black's 
figure  showed  to  great  advantage  in  his  handsome 
uniform.  He  played  in  a  cool,  collected  manner, 
never  making  a  mistake.  Miss  Milton  felt  that 
he  often  looked  in  her  direction.  She  was  fas- 
cinated by  him.  She  heard  the  people  about  her 
praise  him,  and  speak  of  his  wonderful  skill,  and 
of  his  extraordinary  good  looks  ;  and  thought 
with  a  dull  pain  of  Graham's  report  concerning 
him.  Perhaps  it  was  a  false  one.  No  errors 
had  been  made  yet.  The  game  promised  to  be 
intensely  exciting.  What  if  Black  should  prove 
himself  true  ?  It  had  been  decided  that  Dorn- 
field  should  elect  an  umpire  for  the  first  half  of 


THE  GREAT  MATCH.  285 

the  game ;  and  Milltown,  for  the  second 
Through  the  influence  of  the  Miltons,  Mr. 
Grandhurst,  who  said  that  he  had  played  cricket 
in  England,  was  chosen  Dornfield's  umpire. 
Dressed  in  an  English  plaid  suit,  in  broad-soled 
walking  shoes,  he  accordingly  stood  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  home  base. 

"  What 's  that  umpire  got  on  his  head,"  said 
one  of  the  spectators  from  Milltown,  in  a  tone  of 
derision,  pointing  at  Grandhurst. 

"  It  looks  like  half  a  dried  pumpkin,"  said  a 
companion.  "  He  don't  know  the  rules  of  the 
game,  no  how.  See  there  ! "  he  exclaimed,  as 
loud  hisses  went  up  from  the  crowd,  when 
Grandhurst  decided  that  Billy  Plummer,  who 
fell  flat,  and  grasped  the  first  base  with  his  hand, 
shortly  before  the  ball  reached  the  first-base 
man,  was  out.  The  Milltown  boys  amused 
themselves  by  throwing  stones  at  the  umpire's 
hat.  Presently,  loud  laughter  arose,  when  a  ball 
twisted  about,  evaded  the  batter's  effort,  and 
compelled  Grandhurst  to  present  his  coat-tails  to 
it.  Cries  arose  of  "  Fair  hit !  "  "a  good  un," 
mingled  with  imitations  of  cat  cries  and  the 
barking  of  dogs. 

"  This  is  a  pretty  business,"  said  Grandhurst. 
"Why  do  they  throw  these  balls  so  deusedly 
hard  ?  There  is  no  sense  in  it.  A  fellar  could 
get  his  eyes  put  out.  I  feel  as  if  I  had  got 


286  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

among  a  lot  of  harum-scarum  Indians.     There  's 
no  science  in  the  game." 

The  Miltons  were  not  the  only  intensely  in- 
terested spectators.  The  top  benches  of  the 
scaffolding  were  covered  with  middle-aged  men, 
who  sat  with  rounded  backs,  and  hats  over  their 
eyes,  glaring  sharply  over  the  field,  and  putting 
down  the  score.  Young  ladies  chatted  merrily 
with  young  gentlemen  seated  on  the  more  eligi- 
ble benches,  and  were  taught  how  to  record  the 
events  of  the  game.  Whenever  a  Milltown  player 
hit  one  of  Dick's  balls,  and  drove  it  down  the 
field,  the  Milltownites  all  rose  on  the  benches, 
and  leaned  far  forward,  gazing  to  see  its  fate, 
with  anxious  eyes.  Sam  Snell  was  perched  upon 
one  of  the  highest  seats.  Farmer  Snell  and  son 
had  agreed  to  draw  lots,  to  see  who  should 
spend  the  afternoon  witnessing  the  game  ;  for 
one  must  remain  at  home  to  fill  an  order  for 
strawberries  which  had  suddenly  come  in.  So 
they  took  two  straws  ;  and  Sam  drew  the  short 
one,  which  condemned  him  to  remain.  After 
the  departure  of  his  father,  Sam  sought  the 
strawberry  bed,  with  a  look  of  resignation  ;  but 
when  he  heard  the  roars  of  applause  from  the 
distant  ball-field,  he  flung  down  his  dish  with  its 
wealth  of  strawberries,  vaulted  the  fence,  and  ran 
incontinently  for  the  scene  of  the  encounter. 
Minister  Denham  groaned  in  spirit  as  he  saw 


THE   GREAT  MATCH.  287 

the  crowd,  and  heard  the  loud  swearing  of  the 
boys  in  the  trees.  He  resolved  to  go  out,  and 
see  if  he  could  recognize  any  of  the  members  of 
his  Sunday  school.  He  stood  a  moment  watch- 
ing the  progress  of  the  game,  and  grew  insensi- 
bly interested  to  that  degree  that  he  forgot  that 
Miss  Sullivan  was  waiting  for  him  in  his  library. 
One,  two,  three,  four  innings  ;  and  success  for 
the  Dornfield  nine  !  Dick's  pitching  seemed  to 
demoralize  the  Milltown  players.  Ned  Black 
was  on  the  top  wave  of  popular  favor.  His 
intensely  interested  critics  could  discover  no 
fault  in  him.  Grandhurst  was  retired  from  his 
position,  after  several  unhappy  decisions.  He 
took  his  seat  beside  the  Silvers,  with  his  impres- 
sion of  the  unthankfulness  of  republics  con- 
firmed. The  new  umpire  took  his  place,  and 
the  game  went  on.  The  Dornfield  nine  went  to 
the  bat.  Dick  Softy  got  to  the  second  base, 
while  Black  was  on  the  first ;  for  both  had  suc- 
ceeded in  hitting  the  ball.  Dick  began  to  steal 
towards  the  third  base,  while  the  Milltown 
pitcher's  back  was  turned.  Black,  seeing  Dick's 
movements,  ran  to  the  second  base.  When  the 
catcher  received  the  ball,  Dick  was  so  much 
nearer  to  the  third  base  than  Black  to  the  sec- 
ond, that  the  catcher  threw  to  the  second-base 
man.  Dick  saw  this,  and  ran  quickly  for  home. 
The  second-base  man,  after  vainly  endeavoring 


288  THE  GREA  T  MA  TCH. 

to  touch  Black,  threw  the  ball  back  to  the 
catcher,  just  too  late  to  capture  Dick;  while 
Black  in  the  mean  time  arrived  just  in  season  at 
the  third  base.  Never  was  such  a  scene  of  ex- 
citement seen  on  a  ball-field  !  The  crowd  grew 
hoarse  with  shouting. 

"  Tell  me  there  's  no  science  in  base-ball ! " 
cried  Mr.  Milton,  laughing  until  the  tears  stood 
in  his  eyes.  "  Where  's  Grandhurst  ?  I  hope 
he  saw  that.  Capital !  capital !  Dick  is  a  trump, 
—  I 've  been  mistaken  about  him;  and  about 
Black  too,  —  I  don't  see  but  what  he  plays  splen- 
didly, Graham." 

"  Let  us  watch,"  said  Graham,  in  a  sober  tone. 
Mr.  Milton  continued  to  slap  his  knees  for  half 
an  hour  in  enthusiasm. 

Presently  the  Milltown  nine  began  to  win  in 
their  turn.  Dick  pitched  as  well  as  ever ;  but 
Ned  Black  began  to  miss  the  balls,  and  made 
several  wild  throws.  Graham  touched  Mr. 
Milton's  arm,  significantly.  Bobbie  Snevel's 
face  seemed  to  grow  smaller  every  moment,  and 
his  eyes  larger.  Miss  Milton  trembled  with 
agitation.  The  Milltown  nine  gradually  crept  up, 
adding  to  their  score,  until  the  fortunes  of  war 
were  even.  Then  they  began  to  win.  Ned 
Black  was  often  apparently  over-eager,  and  sent 
the  balls  to  the  base-men  with  terrible  swiftness, 
so  that  they  could  not  in  many  cases  be  held. 


THE  GREAT  MATCH.  289 

He  made  wonderful  catches  with  one  hand, 
which  provoked  the  admiration  of  the  crowd, 
and  disarmed  criticism  ;  but  he  failed  to  stop 
easy  balls.  Graham  looked  at  Mr.  Milton. 
Miss  Milton  averted  her  gaze  from  the  field  : 
she  saw  unmistakable  signs  of  negligence  in 
Black's  playing.  At  the  end  of  that  inning, 
Mr.  Milton  and  Graham  left  their  seats  ;  and, 
stepping  out  upon  the  ball-field,  took  Black  one 
side.  Miss  Milton  watched  them,  eagerly  be- 
neath her  sunshade.  She  saw  her  uncle's  eager 
gestures  and  the  dignified  bearing  of  Graham  ; 
and  then  the  Dornfield  nine  closed  about  the 
group,  eagerly,  and  the  principal  actors  were  no 
longer  to  be  seen.  Bobbie  Snevel  was  anxiously 
gazing  beside  Miss  Milton,  and  uttering  various 
conjectures.  "  My  !  hasn't  this  been  a  splendid 
game  so  far ! "  he  exclaimed. 

"  I  wish  I  knew  how  it  will  result,"  sighed  his 
companion. 

"  Oh !  we  shall  beat,"  replied  Bobbie,  con- 
fidently. 

While  the  well-dressed  portion  of  the  crowd 
looked  at  each  other  in  the  lull, —  the  ladies 
taking  a  rapid  inventory  of  dresses  and  bonnets  ; 
the  men  looking  over  the  score,  settling  contested 
points  ;  the  Milltown  players  basking  in  the  sun, 
in  convoluted  knots  upon  the  grass,  —  a  crowd 
of  men  and  boys  was  seen  running  down  from 
13  s 


290  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

centre-field.  The  policemen  ran  towards  them, 
and  forced  them  back.  Still  one  man,  without 
any  hat  and  with  frantic  gestures,  kept  on. 
Cries  of  "  Pat  O'Callahan  !  "  resounded  from  all 
sides.  Mrs.  O'Callahan,  who  had  been  watching 
the  game  in  the  absence  of  her  husband,  with 
her  flock,  burst  into  the  enclosure,  and,  followed 
by  her  five  children,  tried  to  intercept  Pat.  He 
waved  her  off,  however,  with  a  loud  exclamation, 
and  kept  on.  The  policemen  hustled  his  family 
back.  When  he  arrived  among  the  players,  he 
could  not  speak  at  first,  having  utterly  winded 
himself.  He  opened  the  palm  of  his  left  hand 
before  Mr.  Milton,  and  pounded  it  with  a  world 
of  expression  with  his  right 

"  They  kidnapped  me,"  he  shouted,  at  length 
finding  his  voice. 

"  Don't  you  come  here  and  tell  me  any  lies," 
said  Mr.  Milton,  eying  him  with  contempt. 

"  Lies  ! "  exclaimed  Pat,  rolling  up  his  eyes  : 
"  I  swear  it." 

"  Don't  swear,"  said  Mr.  Milton,  severely. 

"  I  won't,"  replied  Pat,  suddenly  wilting  be- 
neath the  gaze  of  the  old  gentleman.  He  looked 
pathetically  at  Black;  but  that  individual  stood, 
with  folded  arms,  gazing  moodily  upon  the 
ground.  The  other  men  of  the  nine  wore  very 
sad  faces. 

"  Are  you  sober,  Pat  ? "  said  Mr.  Milton,  look- 
ing him  up  and  down. 


THE  GREAT  MATCH.  291 

"  As  sober  as  a  baby,  sur." 

"  Well,  then,  take  your  place  as  pitcher ;  Dick, 
you  will  catch  ;  Mr.  Black,  you  will  retire  from 
the  ball-ground.  Let  the  game  go  on  ! "  said  the 
autocratic  old  gentleman.  "  Men,  I  leave  the 
honor  of  your  nine  in  your  hands.  We  are 
bound  to  win  this  game."  The  players  sought 
their  respective  positions  again ;  while  Black 
took  his  coat,  and  silently  left  the  field.  A  re- 
port spread  abroad  that  he  had  injured  his  hand  ; 
but  the  reputation  of  a  good  ball-player  is  the 
most  evanescent  of  all  reputations.  The  crowd 
were  soon  eagerly  following  the  game,  in  which 
O'Callahan  had  taken  his  place  as  pitcher,  and 
Dick  stood  behind  the  bat.  Pat,  like  some  gen- 
erals, required  a  good  beating  to  awaken  his 
genius.  His  mysterious  experience  during  the 
night  had  not  affected  his  base-ball  powers.  His 
eyes  glistened  with  the  light  of  genius  ;  and  the 
ball  went  from  his  right  hand  with  all  its  old 
subtlety.  Dick  knew  his  throwing  of  old.  Up 
came  the  score  in  favor  of  the  Dornfield  nine. 
The  trained  muscles  of  Dick  found  plenty  of 
work  to  do ;  but  they  surely  and  steadily  won 
the  victory.  At  the  end  of  the  ninth  inning, 
the  Dornfield  nine  won  the  victory.  Loud 
shouts  rent  the  air ;  and  the  crowd  burst 
through  the  ropes,  and  ran  across  the  field  in 
a  surging  mass.  The  sun,  which  had  been  be- 


292  THE  GREAT  MATCH. 

hind  a  cloud,  sent  forth  five  golden  rays,  which 
seemed  like  giant  fingers  thrust  forth  to  grasp 
the  rosy  arch  of  light-flying  scud  which  spanned 
the  heavens  from  North  to  South. 

"  Dick,"  said  Miss  Milton,  with  tearful  eyes,  as 
they  wandered  together  down  the  lawn  in  the 
evening,  far  away  from  the  hilarious  crowd,  "  I 
have  been  very  unjust  and  ungrateful.  I  hope 
you  will  forgive  me.  We  can  be  just  as  good 
friends  as  ever,  can't  we  ? " 

"  No,"  replied  Dick,  curtly. 

"  No  !  "  echoed  Miss  Milton,  in  a  sad  tone  of 
reproach,  looking  up  at  him. 

"  No,  I  can  never  be  merely  your  friend  ;  for 
I  love  you  devotedly." 

Miss  Milton  dropped  his  arm,  and  turned 
partly  away  from  him. 

"  I  have  engaged  my  passage  for  Europe,"  said 
Dick,  in  a  broken  voice,  "for  next  month.  I 
intend  to  be  gone  for  three  years." 

His  companion  shuddered,  put  out  her  hand, 
and  said  in  a  faltering  voice,  — 

"Don't  go,  Dick  !  —  dear  Dick  !  " 

Rose  came  forth  out  of  her  sick  chamber,  after 
two  months  of  sickness,  much  saddened  and 
subdued.  Graham's  attentions  were  incessant ; 
and  her  eyes  were  noticed  to  follow  him,  and  to 


THE   GREAT  MATCH. 


293 


dwell  with  a  certain  expression  of  trustfulness 
and  confidence.  People  said  that  they  must  be 
engaged.  Mrs.  Cramer  said  she  always  knew 
that  he  would  marry  a  young  girl.  Mrs.  Farmer 
Snell  didn't  see  why  he  shouldn't  ;  for  he  was 
only  thirty-five,  and  a  young-looking  man  at  that. 
Ned  Black  left  town,  and  went  out  West.  It 
was  reported  in  after  years  that  he  kept  a  gam- 
bling saloon  in  a  mining  town  in  Colorado.  The 
Silvers,  together  with  Grandhurst,  sailed  for 
Europe  in  the  fall,  to  be  gone  indefinitely.  The 
two  villages  still  impress  a  stranger  with  their 
contrasts.  There  is  a  report,  however,  that  a 
branch  railroad  is  to  be  put  through  the  beautiful 
Dornfield  intervale. 


THE    "NO    NAME    SERIES." 


"IS    THAT    ALL?" 

"  In  some  respects,  this  is  the  best  of  the  three  volumes  yet  published  of 
this  series.  For,  though  it  does  not  go  so  deep  as  '  Mercy  Philbrick,'  nor 
deal  in  poetic  fancies  like  '  Deirdre,'  it  is  better  sustained  on  its  own  surface- 
level  than  either  of  those  romances.  It  is  not  a  romance  at  all  in  fact,  but 
a  pleasing  sketch,  somewhat  too  warmly  colored,  of  New  England  social  life 
in  the  well-bred  circle  of  a  small  city,  —  say  Hartford.  The  plot  is  simple  and 
direct,  and  the  story  closes  before  it  has  time  to  become  tiresome  in  any 
particular.  .  .  .  The  book  is  all  it  professes  to  be,  and  something  more,  and 
will  certainly  be  popular."  —  Springfield  Republican. 

"  The  new  novel  of  the  '  No  Name  Series '  belongs  of  right  to  the  class  of 
stories  which  men  and  women  take  with  them  on  vacation  journeys.  It  has 
little  plot,  and^what  little  there  is  is  of  the  slightest  kind.  It  is  meant  to  be 
light  and  amusing,  and  is  so  in  a  high  degree.  The  picture  it  gives  of  high 
life  in  a  provincial  city  is  very  fine,  and  a  spirit  of  bantering  which  runs 
through  it  makes  it  extremely  piquant.  As  to  the  authorship  it  is  idle  to 
guess.  We  leave  the  solution  of  the  question  to  the  reader's  own  skill  in 
reading  riddles,  and  commend  the  anonymous  book  to  his  attention  as  one 
which  will  entertain  him  greatly,  whether  or  not  he  can  guess  its  origin." 
—  New  York  Evening  Post. 

11 '  Is  That  All  ? '  third  in  order  of  the  conundrums  at  which  the  Messrs. 
Roberts  have  set  the  world  a-guessing,  perplexes  conjecture  in  a  greater  degree 
than  its  predecessors.  Its  style  recalls  none  of  our  better-known  writers ;  and, 
in  spite  of  the  assurance  of  the  publishers,  we  should  be  disposed  to  set  it 
down  as  the  work  of  a  fresh  hand,  were  it  not  for  the  practice  and  finish  which 
it  evinces.  It  is,  to  use  its  own  words,  a  'very  meringue  of  a  story,'  light, 
crisp,  delicately  flavored  ;  but,  for  all  this  sketchiness,  it  is  full  of  real  character 
and  individuality.  .  .  .  There  is  a  great  deal  of  bright,  natural  conversation, 
some  capital  love-making,  and  both  humor  and  good-humor  in  the  pithy,  half- 
sarcastic  touches  which  glance  here  and  there  on  the  page  like  a  smile  out  of 
quizzical,  friendly  eyes."  —  Boston  Transcript. 

"  It  is  cleverly  constructed  in  plot,  and  has  the  rare  merit  of  seeming  too 
short.  The  style  is  bright  and  animated,  the  characters  are  evidently  drawn 
from  life,  and  spiritedly  drawn  at  that.  The  conversations  are  sparkling  and 
witty,  and  the  work  is  unmistakably  from  the  hand  of  one  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  the  world  and  with  good  society.  It  is  the  best  book  of  the 
series,  thus  far,  though,  as  the  author  says,  '  a  very  meringue  of  a  story.'  Its 
naturalness  is  not  the  least  of  its  charms.  We  have  been  thoroughly  delighted 
with  it,  and  we  assure  our  readers  that  they  will  derive  equal  pleasure  and  satis- 
faction from  its  perusal.  The  name  of  the  author  has  not  yet  transpired,  but 
we  hazard  the  guess  that  it  is  a  woman,  —  not  owing  to  any  effeminacy  or 
weakness  in  the  style,  but  from  the  fact  that  no  one  but  a  woman  would  write 
so  saucily  about  the  gentler  sex.  We  advise  everybody  to  read  tliis  clever  little 
story."  — Saturday  Gazette. 

In  one  volume,  IGmo.    Cloth.    Gilt  and  red-lettered.    91.00. 

Our  publications  are  to  be  had  of  all  Booksellers.  When  not  to 
be  found,  send  directly  to 

ROBERTS   BROTHERS,  Publishers,  Boston. 


LOUISA  M.  ALCOTT'S  WRITINGS. 

"  Miss  Alcott  is  really  a  benefactor  of  households."  —  H.  H. 

Little  Women.  Two  volumes,  $3.00 ;  Hospital  Sketches  and  Camp 
and  Fireside  Stories,  $1.50;  An  Old-Fashioned  Girl,  $1.50; 
Little  Men,  $1.50;  My  Boys,  &c.,  $1.00;  Shawl-Straps,  jji.oo  ; 
Cupid  and  Chow-Chow,  &c.,  $1.00;  Work:  A  Story  of  Experi- 
ence. With  Character  Illustrations  by  Sol  Eytinge.  i6mo,  $1.75; 
Eight  Cousins,  $1.50;  Silver  Pitchers;  and  Independence,  a 
Centennial  Love  Story,  $1.25  ;  Rose  in  .Bloom,  $1.50. 


"H.  H.'s»    WRITINGS. 

"  The  poems  of  a  lady  who  contents  herself  with  the  initials  H.  If.  have 
rare  merit  of  thought  and  expression."  —  R.  W.  EMERSON. 

Verses,  $1.25;  Bits  of  Travel,  $1.25;  Bits  of  Talk  about  Home 
Matters,  jgi.oo;  Bits  of  Talk  in  Verse  and  Prose  for  Young 
Folks,  $1.00. 


SUSAN   COOLIDGE'S   WRITINGS. 

"  Not  even  Miss  Alcott  apprehends  child  nature  -with  finer  sympathy,  or 
pictures  its  nobler  traits  -with  more  skill." — BOSTON  DAILY  AD- 
VERTISER. 

The  New- Year's  Bargain,  $1.50 ;  What  Katy  Did,  $1.50 ;  What  Katy 
Did  at  School,  $1.50;  Mischief's  Thanksgiving,  $1.50;  Nine 
Little  Goslings,  $1.50;  For  Summer  Afternoons,  $1.25. 


HARRIET    BEECHER    STOWE. 

"  The  fen,  which  more  than  any  other  quickened  the  public  heart  till  the 
black  slavery  of  centuries  was  broken,  will  render  a  service  not  less 
considerable,  if  it  so  wake  the  conscience  of  men  and  women  that  pink 
and  white  tyranny  of  women  over  men  shall  be  impossible" 

Pink  and  White  Tyranny  :  a  Society  Novel.     $1.50. 


Our  publications  are  to  be  had  of  all  booksellers.     When 
not  to  be  found,  send  directly  to 

ROBERTS    BROTHERS,  Publishers, 

BOSTON. 


University  of  California                                    — 
SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
305  De  Neve  Drive  -  Parking  Lot  17  •  Box  951388 
LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA  90095-1388 
Return  this  material  to  the  library  from  which  it  was  borrowed. 

I           JANlSfljQf 

Our  publications  are  to  be  had  of  Booksellers.     When  not  to  be 
found,  send  directly  to 
ROBERTS   BROTHERS,  Publishers,  Boston. 

THE    "NO    3s 
DEI 

A    000  032  809    6 

'  '  Deirdrc'  is  a  remarkable  poem,  wimcn  m  •.«.>•-<>;. .<.»*..  ....~,  .7....  „:. 

perfect  case  of  versification.  .  .  .  The  author  has  an  enthusiastic  and  delicate 
love  of  nature  in  all  her  moods.  His  battle  scenes  are  all  set  in  glowing  land- 
scapes ;  he  sings  the  glories  of  the  earth  and  of  the  skies,  as  well  as  the 
achievements  of  his  heroes  ;  he  makes  you  fcfl  the  weather  and  the  landscape, 
the  sharpness  of  late  autumn,  the  life  and  sweetness  of  spring.  The  fault  of 
tlte  poem  is  an  excess  of  its  beauties  (?)."  — Boston  Daily  Advertiser. 

"  Such  is  the  story  of  Deirdre  ;  a  story  of  extraordinary  power  and  pathos, 
and  one  which,  though  dealing  with  remote  times  and  barbarous  characters, 
awakens  a  strong  sympathy  in  the  breast  of  the  reader.  Some  of  the  passages 
of  the  poem  are  absolutely  Homeric,  particularly  the  descriptions  of  the  battles  ; 
while  there  are  here  and  there  subtle  touches  of  nature,  all  the  more  potent 
because  of  their  savage  setting.  Altogether  it  is  the  poem  of  this  day  and 
generation,  and  worthy  a  place  beside  the  best  work  of  the  best  living  poets  of 
England  or  America." — Boston  Transcript. 

"  One's  first  thought  on  reading  the  last  line  of  this  poem  is  of  its  absolute 
integrity  of  excellence.  Not  a  faulty  line  mars  its  expansive  beauty;  not  a 
commonplace  sentiment  degrades  it.  ..  .  .  We  have  never  read  a  poem  whose 
perfection  is  so  steadfastly  sustained  ;  from  the  first  line  to  the  last  there  is  no 
descent  from  the  original  nobility  of  thought  and  style.  ...  Its  atmosphere 
is  strangely  high  and  healthful.  Honor  rules  almost  every  act  in  the  eventful 
drama.  .  .  .  The  most  exigent  sense  of  duty  seems  to  animate  every  person  in 
the  poem ;  and  the  episode  of  their  deaths  illustrates  the  noblest  qualities  of 
human  nature.  .  .  .  Over  the  whole  sky  of  his  poem  there  broods  an  atmos- 
phere of  the  most  exquisite  refinement.  .  .  .  But  words  cannot  do  justice  to 
the  grandeur  and  beauty  of  'Deirdre;  '  it  is  the  poem  of  the  century."  — 
Literary  \Vorhl\ 

"  Thus  '  Deirdre  '  comes  forth  a  grand  epic,  a  poem  of  which  America  can 
be  proud  as  the  country  from  which  it  issues,  and  all  other  reading  lands  g!ad 
and  satisfied.  There  is  in  it  the  grandeur  and  magnificence  of  the  Greek  of  the 
Iliad  and  Odyssey;  the  beauty  and  grace,  the  rich  imagery  of  the  /Eneid,  and 
the  rythmic  flow  of  Dante's  writings.  The  power  of  the  poem  is  not  spasmo- 
dic, the  genius  of  the  writer  is  not  fitful,  and  the  beauty  of  the  verse  is  nowhere 
hampered  by  artifice  or  lessened  by  signs  of  relapsing  from  the  highest  standard. 
On  the  contrary,  steadily,  firmly,  grandly  the  story  progresses,  with  a  rich  fer- 
tility of  poetic  skill  and  rare  picturing,  to  its  closing  page.  The  poem  is  des- 
tined to  live  and  rank  among  modern  classics."  —  Boston  Traveller. 

"  '  Deirdre  '  would  have  attracted  attention  without  the  adjunct  of  mystery 
(Xo  Name?).  It  is  a  narrative  poem,  original  in  its  material,  boldly  conceived, 
and  written  with  sufficient  poetic  skill  and  feeling  to  separate  it  wholly  from  the 
crowd  of  crude  and  ambitious  attempts  which  are  constantly  issuing  from  the 
press." — New  York  Tribune. 


upon  us.     l-or  the  pr___ 

is  enough  that  we  shall  read  it  and  enjoy  it,  recognizing  its  richness  in  all  that 
makes  poetry  good,  and  learning  to  know  its  spirit  andlts  significance."  — New 
York  Rvening  Post. 

In  one  volume,  IGino.    Cloth.    Gilt  and  red-lettered.    $1.00. 

Our  publications  are  to  be  had  of  all  Booksellers.     When  not  to 
be  found,  send  directly  to 

ROBERTS   BROTHERS,  Publishers,  Boston. 


TH  EG  FIE  AT  MATCH 


No  NAME  S ERIE 


